A Chaotic Legend
by Reconzilla117
Summary: Desperate to stop immortal tyrant Vandal Savage, Captain Rip Hunter recruits a motley team of heroes and villains, including the host of a powerful Klyntar. Will this team succeed, or will not even Chaos prove enough to stop Savage? On Hiatus
1. Pilot Part One

**Hellooooooooooooooo my friends! Here is my first LOT fic, staring my symbiotic duo, Troy Winter and Chaos!**

**Disclaimer one: I own nothing, only my OCs.**

**Disclaimer two: To clear up the possible confusion, I have made it so that Troy and Chaos have been working with Team Arrow. How the duo affected the Arrow timeline, that's up to you to envision.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**London**_

_**2166**_

_**The Second Blitz**_

London was nothing but mayhem and chaos. Ships flew through the skies, heavy laser bolts punished random areas. People fled for their lives while screaming, running through the torn streets as armored men with advanced laser rifles shot them down. Some of the people attempted to fight back, but were quickly eliminated in brutal ways.

The leader of these troops walked ahead of two of his men down a small stone staircase. He wore a blue trench coat which hid an arsenal of knives beneath, a red vest, a knife rested in its sheath on his belt on the left side, black pants and boots. He had long black hair and a beard.

His name is Vandal Savage.

A ruthless and evil dictator blessed with the gift of immortality. After over four thousand years of plotting and waiting, Savage has done what no other dictator in history has been able to accomplish; he has conquered the entire planet, twisted and bended the remaining population to his rule.

Savage approached a ramshackle shelter, where a mother kept her son close to her, embracing him. She looked and once her eyes laid upon Savage, she stood up defiantly. This was her last act of protection when the soldier on Savage's left side fired. The laser bolt struck the woman in her heart, tearing a deathly scream from her throat as she hit the small metal chain link fence behind her before falling to the ground, a searing hole where the laser bolt had struck her.

The boy stared at his mother's lifeless body with horrified wide eyes before whipping his head back to the front, trembling as Savage approached him, his breathing coming out quickly. "What's your name, son?" The immortal asked.

Seeming to overcome his fear, the boy stood up, his eyes boring into Savage's. "Jonas."

Savage got down on one knee to be at level with Jonas. "Your mother was brave," Jonas looked back at his mother's lifeless body, "just as your father was foolish." Savage's voice brought the boy's attention back to the immortal. "Which are you?"

Jonas remained silent, answering Savage's question by spitting in the immortal's face. This seemed to amuse Savage. "So you take after your mother, huh?" He deduced, chuckling a bit as he stood up while patting Jonas on the side of the boy's neck before walking away. But Savage stopped and turned back around. "Or not."

He raised a gun and pulled the trigger.

* * *

_**Time Master Council**_

A man with brown hair and wearing a tan coat stood in the middle of a room, a ray of blue light shining down upon him from the ceiling. He looked to his fellow Time Masters, who all watched him from their balconies. "Caesar, Hitler, Per Degaton." Rip Hunter began, then scoffed at the names he just listed off. "Rank amateurs compared to Savage. His forces have already claimed the lives of billions. And if we possess the means to stop him and again do nothing, then their blood is on our hands."

"As a Time Master of long standing," another Time Master started, "you seem to forget our responsibility is to protect the timeline, not humanity. You wish to engage in the very source of manipulation of time that we are sworn to prevent."

"And yet if we allow humanity to perish at the hands of evil, then what universe are we custodians of?" Rip retorted, shaking his head.

"What if, in trying to save the world from Savage, you make it vulnerable to another, more terrible despot?" Another asked, drawing Rip's attention.

"We are not warriors, Captain Hunter." A third stated. "We possess no army."

"And I'm not asking for one." Rip retorted, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Just a single timeship and your permission to change history before Vandal Savage puts an end to it." He began to walk out of the blue light. "I'm not appealing to you as Time Masters, but as humans, please" He pleaded. "Grant me the authority to change the timeline just this once." He anxiously awaited their reply.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Rip walked through the corridors of his timeship, the Waverider, to the pilot bay. _"How did the council meeting go, Captain Hunter?" _A metallic female voice asked.

"Exactly as expected, Gideon." Rip answered.

"_So we are proceeding?" _Gideon inquired.

"Indeed." Rip replied as the door to the pilot bay slid open to the sides and walked in.

The pilot bay was a large room. A control console rested in the middle of the room, ten chairs in total, nine passenger seats and the captain's chair. A study room with modern furniture rested in the back, and that room itself seemed very out of place with the rest of its futuristic surroundings.

"Prepare the Waverider for takeoff." Rip ordered. "Set a course. United States. Star City. January, 2016."

"_Ah, the early second millennium A.D. The golden age of gasoline engines, online pornography and those silly little smartphones." _Gideon remarked as Rip sat in the captain's seat. _"What are we going to retrieve, Captain?"_

"Oh, not what." Rip began to clarify as he pulled the metallic harness over his head. "Who. I need you to pull up some files, Gideon. The ten men, women, and… alien who'll be joining us on our little crusade." He finished as his seat slowly rotated and slid forth into position.

"_You usually prefer to work alone, Captain." _Gideon pointed out.

"This time, I'll need a team." Rip said as he thrusted the handle forward, and the ship drove through the times stream.

As the ship flew through the time stream, the files of Rip's recruits appeared on the screen on the small console in front of him.

"First recruit: Dr. Raymond Palmer. Also known as the Atom." The next file appeared, showing a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Next recruit: Sara Lance. Former member of the League of Assassins, also formerly dead." He shuddered at the last sentence before the next file appeared, showing two men. The first was an elderly man wearing glasses, the other was a young African American man. "Firestorm, the merged super-form of one Jefferson Jackson and Professor Martin Stein." The next file appeared, showing a man and a woman. "Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall. The latest reincarnations of Hawkman and Hawkgirl." The next file appeared, showing two men. One had a buzz cut and wore blue goggles, and the other was bald and wore red goggles.

"_There seems to be an error, Captain. These candidates, Leonard Snart and Mick Rory, are a pair of criminals." _Gideon said, clearly against the idea of recruiting these two individuals.

"There's no error, Gideon." Rip assured the AI before pulling up the final file, showing a young man with black hair, calm blue eyes, a slightly above average built body, and handsome features. "Our final recruit: Troy Winter, the host of the Kylntar, Chaos."

* * *

_**Star City**_

Ray flew through the interior of the computer CPU that the sinister organization, HIVE, had stolen. "This feels good, being back in the field. Not that this is a field, but-"

"_Ray, are you up for this?" _Asked Oliver Queen through the com link.

"Uh, too late to turn back now." Ray said before he landed, noticing that a critical piece of the computer CPU was missing. "Huh, someone removed the central processing unit."

"_Are you sure?" _Oliver asked.

"I designed the computer's CPU, so yeah, pretty sure." Ray explained.

A sinking feeling befall Oliver back at the Arrow bunker. _"Well, HIVE would only remove it if they knew-"_

"You had me shrink down and fly into their secret computer lab?" Ray finished, his eyes drifting upward. "My night's about to get a whole lot worse, isn't it?"

At the lair, Oliver looked to the screen on the left side of him. Four HIVE soldiers were closing in, armed with assault rifles. _"Oh, you can take them. They have guns, you have a super suit. It's time to start growing."_

"This is gonna get a little rough." Ray remarked as he braced himself for a fight.

The HIVE men approached the unit, their fingers on the trigger of their rifles. Suddenly, the unit exploded as Ray returned to his normal size. The small explosion sent two of the soldiers crashing into the light stands on either side of the room. One HIVE agent fired, but bullets did not penetrate the armor on Ray's suit and he smacked the rifle before giving the soldier a hard right hook. He punched another soldier in the back, sending the man flying in the air before blasting the final soldier with his hard light compressed beams which fired out of his gauntlets. Suddenly, Ray heard someone clapping behind, and he whirled around, arm snapped forward and ready fire. His eyes beheld Rip, the source of the clapping.

"Oh, I am not one of your adversaries." Rip assured as he took out a handheld device, which flashed a bright white, and Ray knew no more.

* * *

_**Tibet**_

Sara Lance sat by the window in a Tibetan bar, staring out at the cold landscape. It sadden her to be away from her home in Star City, away from her sister, Laurel, and from her father. But it was for the best. A year ago, Sara was killed by a drugged Thea Queen, curtesy of Malcom Merlyn, who had drugged the young Queen with a plant known as Votura, which makes those who take it easily susceptible to suggestion while they retain no memory of their actions. Malcom had done this as part of his plan to lift the blood debt the late Ra's al Ghul had placed on him for the Undertaking, a terrible event which took place three years ago in Star City, in which Malcom used a device that could trigger a man made earthquake and killed over five hundred people, including his own son, Tommy Merlyn.

Laurel had found out about the Lazarus Pit through Thea, when the younger woman had told Laurel when Ra's stabbed Thea, she was lowered into the Lazarus Pit, a pit containing mystical water which has the power to heal any wound and even revive the dead. Hearing this, Laurel and Thea had taken Sara's body to Nanda Parbat, the home of the League of Assassins, and use the Lazarus Pit to revive Sara. Malcom was initially against the idea, and especially Nyssa al Ghul, who loved Sara and did not wished for her to be put through the Lazarus Pit, but it was done so anyway.

But those who come out of the Pit are never the same again. They are left with a bloodlust that must be sated… by killing. Sara's was much worse, considering she was actually dead when she was put in the Pit, whereas Thea was, though barely, still alive. To make it worse, Sara was reduced to the next best thing to a mindless feral beast, since while the Pit revived her, it did not bring back her soul. She was able to get her soul back with the help one John Constantine.

Sara was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a woman struggling and a man laughing, gripping her by the arm. _"Let her go." _Sara warned in Tibetan.

"_Or what?" _The man challenged arrogantly, shoving the woman away from him

Sara finished the rest of her drink before spinning around and tossed the glass across the room, hitting the man right in the face, evoking a pained grunt while falling to the floor hard. He wasted no time in getting up, and Sara was already upon him. The man swung his right arm, but Sara brought up her left arm and blocked the swing before giving the man a hard right hook across the face before back handing him, sending him unconscious to the floor. Sara whirled and grabbed another man's arm which held a wooden stick, disarming him before kneeing him in the face. She grabbed his head and slammed him into the metal rim which held a small fire.

"Miss Lance?" She whipped her head to the direction of the voice. "Join me for a drink? I have come quite a long way to meet you." A flash of bright white consumed her, and Sara's world went out.

* * *

_**Pittsburgh**_

Firestorm flew through the air, fire exhausting out of his hands as he darted for a factory, engaging a man armed with a machine gun. _"Caution, Jefferson, eighty three percent of the chemicals in this factory are combustible." _Martin Stein warned from within Jax's head as the metahuman and the armed man exchanged fire.

"Yeah, tell that to Rambo." Jax retorted before he thrusted his arm forward, unleashing another fireball at the criminal, leaving a small explosion.

"_Thought I told you to be careful." _Stein reminded.

The professor's words fell upon deaf ears. Jax threw more fireballs, and they landed behind the criminal, sending him flying to the ground hard while a scream tore from his throat. Firestorm landed, then Stein separated from Jax. "What's the use of sharing my intelligence if you won't listen?" The older man demanded, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Stop bossing me around like I'm one of your snot-nosed undergrads." Jax shot back, equally annoyed.

But before the argument could continue, a voice called out. "Excuse me."

Jax and Stein turned their attention to the newcomer. "Who are you?" Jax demanded before a flash of bright white consumed him and Stein.

* * *

_**St. Roch**_

A fire was blazing in a building nearby. Carter and Kendra, outfitted in their ancient armored clothing, descended down to the ground, the former carrying a woman they had rescued from the burning building. Kendra landed first, her wings retracting into her back, shaking her head.

"Kendra," Carter called out, "you, my love, almost got us killed." He finished as he landed.

"Thank you." The woman gave her gratitude as Carter placed her down, before he rushed ahead and caught up with Kendra.

"Your flying is still clumsy like a bird just out of the nest-"

Annoyed, Kendra snapped her attention to him. "Well maybe that's because up until two months ago, I was a barista, not some damned winged demi-goddess."

Carter was about to retort when a voice drew their attention. "Have you two considered couples counseling?" Rip asked them, a small hint of amusement in his voice. "I hear it's quite popular in this century." The last thing the couple saw was a flash of bright white.

* * *

_**Central City**_

The alarms were blaring loudly. Leonard Snart and Mick Rory emerged from rooms that adjoined the hallway. Their teamwork is legendary. Snart was known widely for his brilliance at delicate planning when it came to anything that involved stealing, and Mick was known for his hotheadedness and desire to burn everything down.

Snart and Mick made their way throughout the building, the latter carrying a duffle bag. Once they made it outside, two cops were waiting for them. "Drop your weapons!" One of them barked, pointing his pistol at the criminal duo.

"Ah, fry, you little piggies!" Mick exclaimed before he fired his handheld flamethrower, and Snart fired his cold gun, blasting the cops away. "A minivan? Really, Snart?" The arsonist demanded once he spotted their getaway vehicle as he got in the driver seat.

"Cops will never hassle a dad buying diapers in the middle of the night." Snart explained as he held up a diaper box, which actually contained some of the jewels they stole before tossing the box into the back seat.

Mick pressed down on the gas pedal and drove off, the cops hot on their tails. However, it was then they noticed someone standing in the middle of the road. "What the-" Mick began.

"Watch it!" Snart shouted before their world went white.

* * *

_**Star City**_

A criminal who had attempted to rape a woman ran down a dark alley, letting out quick and fearful breaths. He could hear heavy footsteps behind him, and it terrified him to the core. He ran and ran, but a black tendril shot out and wrapped around the criminal's leg, tripping and roughly landed on the ground before being dragged back from where he ran from. A large clawed black hand gripped him by the throat and roughly hoisted him into the air, being brought face to face with the grinning visage of Chaos.

A hulking and muscular body with jet black oily skin coursing with golden veins. Spikes of various lengths protruding out of his back. Three horns atop of his head, two of them long and curved, while the third one short and positioned in front of the other two. A single sharp spike stuck out of both his elbows. Sharp claws capable of extending and retracting, white jagged and pseudo eyes, and perhaps the most terrifying feature of all, the maw filled with razor sharp teeth, a long serpentine tongue hidden just behind.

"**Brain, heart, liver. Such a delicious feast, no time to waste." **Chaos rumbled hungrily, his bone chilling grin stretching wider as he took in satisfaction of seeing the scum in his hand shaken. A guttural growl escaped his throat as his long serpentine tongue slithered out of his maw and licked the criminal's face, leaving a trail of saliva in its wake.

Chaos' tongue slid back into his maw before opening his mouth impossibly wide. The man scream horrifically, but was silenced when Chaos' jaws clamped down on him before tearing the head off.

Chaos emerged outside, climbing up the building and onto the rooftop before his form began to recede until Troy stood in his place. "Satisfied?" The host asked his other.

"_**Of course." **_Chaos replied.

Troy smiled. "Good, now, let's head back to the bunker."

He had just began to walk forward when Chaos suddenly said, _**"Behind us."**_

Heeding the Kylntar's warning, Troy swiftly turned around and confusion marred his face when he saw Rip. "Did your friend enjoy his snack?" The captain asked.

Troy scowled. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

"Someone who is interested in your talents." Rip replied before he pulled out his device and Troy knew no more.

* * *

_**Rooftop**_

The nine people slowly awoke. Ray took off his helmet before his gaze met Mick's. They studied each other for a few seconds before the arsonist groaned, a throbbing ache pounding in his head. "What a headache!"

Snart looked to the right. "Stein?" He said before he sat up. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm as ignorant as you, for once." The elderly man replied as he slowly sat up, as did Sara and Troy.

"Where are we?" Sara asked.

Troy blinked and looked to his right, seeing Sara sitting next to him. "Sara?" He had not seen Sara for two months, since after Team Green Arrow had rescued Ray from the clutches of Damien Darhk.

The former assassin met his gaze as Kendra and Carter sat up. "Troy?"

"_**I would like the answer to her question." **_Chaos hissed.

"Why don't you ask the dude who knocked us out and kidnapped us?" Jax asked rhetorically. "British dude with a flashy thing? Ring any bells?"

"The name's Rip Hunter." The captain's voice drew their attention. "I'm from East London. Oh, and the future."

"Nice to meet you, Rip." Mick said with a smirk as he and everyone else stood up on their feet before reaching for his handheld flamethrower.

"Uh, while you were incapacitated, I may have tampered with your weapons." Rip admitted.

He was about to say more, but a black tendril shot out and wrapped around his throat, cutting off the air flow as Troy stalked over to him. "I suggest you start talking." Half of Chaos' face engulfed his own. "**N**o**w**." Both sides growled before the symbiote's face receded and the tendril uncoiled from Rip's neck and retracted back into Troy.

The captain took a few seconds to regain his breath before speaking. "I've assembled you all because I need your help." He began as he started to walk down in front of the group. "The future of the world is in peril because of a man by the name of Vandal Savage." He explained, a tightness in his voice.

Troy raised an eyebrow. _**"Didn't we turn him into a pile of dust?" **_Chaos asked his host.

"_We did. Apparently it didn't stick." _Troy replied, remembering that ordeal.

Confusion marred Carter's face. "That can't be. We destroyed him."

"Yeah. The Green Arrow and the Flash helped us do it." Kendra added.

Rip turned around to face the two who are most familiar with Savage. "And therein lay the problem. Unless you or Mr. Hall deliver the death blow, Savage can be restored from but a single cell." He held up an index finger for emphasis.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mick demanded, baffled.

"Vandal is immortal. Kendra and I reincarnate." Carter explained, pointing to himself and Kendra.

"Yeah. I've done that." Sara said with a nod. Troy grimaced at that.

"And what the hell does this Randall guy got to do with us?" Mick demanded again.

"Vandal." Rip corrected before walking forward. "In the future, he will employ the evil he's perfected over his long life, and the power he has amassed throughout history, to finally conquer the world."

"Classic bad guy fashion." Troy quipped sarcastically.

"I've been tasked with assembling an elite team to stop him." Rip pressed on.

"How?" Sara inquired, arms crossed over her chest.

"To travel through time." Rip began, waving his arm around. "To capture Savage before he grows into the monster he becomes."

"You got the wrong guy." Snart said as he began to walk away. "'Hero' ain't on my resume."

"Or mine." Mick added as he followed after his partner. Troy scoffed.

"I know it's difficult for you to fathom," Rip said, and Snart stopped walking, "but where- when I'm from the year twenty one sixty six, you and everyone on this roof aren't just considered heroes… you're legends."

This revelation seemed to interest everyone. "Legends?" Ray repeated, stepping forward.

Stein wasn't as enthused. "I, um, I hate to nitpick, but doesn't a legend have to be dead?"

"Speak for yourself." Troy quipped, causing Sara to smirk and Chaos to chuckle.

"Yeah, see, uh, that's a deal breaker for me, so I'm gonna pass." Jax said, clearly uncomfortable with this.

"It's dangerous for any of you to know too much about your own futures, but I am here because each of you, as individuals, is destined for greatness." Rip said to them, causing Troy to smirk.

"I could get behind that." Ray declared.

Rip turned around, his back facing the group. "And, if you don't follow me," he began as he took out what seemed like a remote, "this is what is in store for your world one hundred fifty years from now." He clicked on the remote.

Slowly, the scenery around them began to change. The once beautiful city landscape transformed into a wasteland. Buildings were destroyed, the sky was blood red, fires were ablaze everywhere, laser bolts darted from out of nowhere. Everyone stared in horror at the scene. Even the flowing tendril with Chaos' face formed out of Troy's shoulder. The Kylntar too was shocked by what he was seeing.

Rip deactivated the projection, lowering the device. "I could have chosen any time and any place," He began as he turned around to face the group once more, "of all the people who ever lived, I chose you ten. I certainly hope that you won't let me, and the world, down." He walked over to Stein, handing the professor a small slip of paper. "If your answer is yes, meet me at this address in thirty six hours." Having said what he needed to say, Rip departed from the area, leaving everyone to contemplate the offer they were just given.

* * *

_**Star City**_

Oliver Queen, in his Green Arrow suit, was engaging HIVE soldiers on a rooftop. He jammed the front end of his bow into face of a soldier before whirling around hitting another soldier across the face with his bow. Oliver swiftly turned around to give another soldier a left hook before kicking the man in the chest. He swung around again, flinging his bow low and knocked the other soldier off his feet. Oliver then grabbed second soldier by the back of his shoulder and shoved him roughly to the floor of the roof before reaching into his quiver and notched an arrow.

But he didn't get to release the drawstring when a blast of blue hit the HIVE soldier from behind, falling down to reveal Ray. "I had that." Oliver said.

"I know." Ray said, walking forward. "It's fun to watch you, kick, punch, and skewer bad guys. But, I need a minute of your time." And so, Ray and Oliver walked together as the former explained what is going on. "I'm sure Captain Hunter will return me to the moment I left, but I thought, you know, just in case, someone should know I was gone."

"We went up against Savage. He does not go down easy." Oliver recalled when he, John Diggle, Thea, Laurel, Kendra, Carter, Barry, Troy, and Chaos fought the immortal two months ago. Even with Chaos, who is among the strongest of the Kylntars, Savage proved to be a formidable opponent.

"That's why Hunter's recruited a team." Ray reminded.

"A team that includes Leonard Snart and Mick Rory." Oliver pointed out, knowing of the two criminal's reputations. "So what do you know about Captain Hunter?"

"He's a Time Master from the twenty second century. It's a little hard to Google." Ray replied.

"So you know nothing," Oliver began as he stepped in front of Ray, "yet you trust him?" He finished, seeing countless things wrong with trusting someone one barely knows. It was extremely dangerous to dabble in that particular field.

"I'm as trusting as you are cynical." Ray shot back.

"Well, I'm cynical and it's difficult for me to trust anyone, but that has kept me alive." Oliver retorted.

Ray looked down at the floor for a few seconds, then back at his friend. "I died once." He began, referring to the event shortly after Oliver had stopped Ra's al Ghul from unleashing the Alpha/Omega virus upon Starling City, where he was testing his suit for a new shrinking function and an explosion consumed the upper level of Palmer Technologies. Ray was presumed dead in the explosion, since his body was never found. "At least, the world thought I did. You know what happened?" He shook his head. "Nothing. All the money, all the buildings, all the inventions, the world didn't care. My life, ultimately, didn't matter. Rip is giving me the chance to help save the world. I have to take it."

Oliver studied Ray. The archer knew he wouldn't be able to talk Ray out of this, and conceded with his point. Oliver swapped his bow to his left hand and offered his right. "Keep your head on a swivel while you're at it." He said as they shook hands. Ray smiled and nodded.

* * *

_**Kendra and Carter's Apartment**_

"Two hundred six times." Carter began as he followed Kendra to the bed, the latter packing. "Savage has killed both of us two hundred six times."

Kendra was very much against going after the man that has been hunting them for the past four thousand years, the man that wants her in his clutches. "Yeah, and I'm not too eager about making it two hundred seven." She shot back as she stormed to the other room.

"So what?" Carter asked as he followed after her. "You're just going to run away … We've tried that before." He paused before speaking. "Look, I know you don't remember your past lives yet, but I remember so much of it." He approached her. "God, if you only knew how I loved you," Kendra spun around to face him, "and how much… how much it hurt every time he took you away from me." Those memories of Savage killing Kendra still shook him.

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, we can't actually beat him?" Kendra demanded, somewhat heated.

"But this time we wouldn't be facing him alone," Carter began, grabbing a piece of clothing off the couch before walking to the bedroom, "and we almost defeated him with help before."

"Yeah, almost." Kendra shot back.

"Kendra," Carter started after he placed the piece of clothing on the bed before facing soulmate, "this is our best chance to stop him forever."

Kendra still wasn't convinced and she grabbed the shirt on the bed before storming to the other room. "The woman I've loved for millennia wouldn't be scared of it." Carter's words made her stop in her tracks. Carter sighed before speaking, leaning on a drawer. "Look." He began yet again as Kendra turned around. "Past lives we'd fight, argue. A lot. But we'd settle matters as warriors."

Kendra immediately knew where this was going. "What? Like I beat you?" She began as she backed up, and a wide, amused grin formed on Carter's face. "And you give up this plan to follow Hunter?" She threw her jacket onto the couch.

"Yeah, except you won't be able to beat me. But you can absolutely try." The two stared at each other, the tension building up. "Winner gets to decide, little lady."

A few seconds passed before they lunged for each other, their wings spreading out through their backs.

* * *

_**Arrow Bunker**_

Sara and Laurel sparred in the middle of the computer platform in the bunker. Troy, the tendril with Chaos' face flowing from his shoulder, watched the Lance sisters spar, sitting on one of the desks. It was very entertaining.

"I remember when you told mom and dad that you wanted to go to sleepaway camp." Laurel remarked as broke off. Sara had told her everything.

"This'll be a little different." The younger Lance said with a smirk.

"Time travel." Laurel said as Sara twirled her bo staff, separating it into two batons. "I can't believe we're talking about it like it's something real."

"I know." Sara agreed.

"Hey," Troy began, drawing both women's attention, "between symbiotic alien lifeforms, earthquake machines, mirakuru soldiers, metahumans, League of Assassins, magic, and resurrections, I figured it was only a matter of time before we found out time travel was possible."

The two sisters stared at him before resuming their spar, with Sara coming out on top. "Down for the count/**Down for the count.**" Both Troy and Chaos said.

"I think you three should go." Laurel said, much to the surprise of Sara.

"**I want to bite Savage's head off." **Chaos hissed excitedly as the Lance sisters assumed more relaxed stances.

"Of course you do." Troy mumbled. The host then thought of what would happen if his other bit off the immortal's head. Would Savage still be able to see and hear? He decided not to dwell further into that.

"Laurel, I died." Sara said, both Laurel and Troy grimaced. "I'm still picking up those pieces." The younger sister then walked off the platform, down the stairs toward a table. Laurel placed her baton down on one of the computer desks before following her sister. Troy got off the desk he was sitting on, stopping at the edge of the platform. "The Lazarus Pit brought me back, but it left me with this need to take," Sara pressed on as she took a seat, "to kill. I'm dangerous."

"After you died, I needed a channel for my grief. I found it in becoming the Black Canary." Laurel said, remembering that all too well. "I found it in you."

"For me, being the Canary was never that positive." Sara countered. That title was the embodiment of her time in the League of Assassins, of the vicious killer she once was, or still is.

Laurel sighed. "Then don't be the Canary." She began. "Do what Oliver's been doing. Do what this Rip Hunter is offering all three of you the chance to do and…" She paused, placing a hand on her sister's cheek. "Be a hero in the light. Be the White Canary."

Troy raised an eyebrow at the name, and Sara too had confused gleam in her eyes. The two Lance sisters walked over to one of the suit mannequins, watching as the glass doors slowly opened, revealing a white suit designed for a woman. "Where did you get this?" Sara asked as she stared at the suit.

"I have resourceful friend named Cisco." Laurel replied.

Troy shook his head in amusement. "Cisco, Cisco. Brilliant as always."

"Where's the mask?" Sara inquired.

Laurel placed her chin on Sara's shoulder. "You don't need it anymore. You've lived the shadows long enough." She said before lifting her head up and faced Troy. "Keep her in check."

The host shrugged. "I'll do my best."

**"_We'll _do our best." **Chaos couldn't help but correct, earning an eye roll from Troy and a few snickers from Laurel and Sara.

* * *

_**Unknown Location**_

Snart and Mick had retreated to one of their hideouts. Snart was lying on the couch, reading jewel magazine, while Mick was grinding down a piece of equipment. "I can't believe you're thinking of hooking up with the Englishman." Mick said over the grinding the sound, before setting the grinder aside. "We're thieves. Crooks. Criminals." He walked over to the fridge. "I have no desire to save the world," he added as he took out a bottle of beer, "especially a hundred years after I'm dead."

Snart too had no interest in saving the world from the likes of Vandal Savage. His mind was drifting over to more interesting aspects of this little offer. "He said across time, Mick. What about the years before? Before fingerprints and surveillance cameras and DNA analysis." He turned his head to look as his partner. "Why did we become criminals?"

"Because we hate working and we love money." Mick answered, taking another sip of his beer.

Snart got up from the couch, approaching the arsonist. "We could steal the Mona Lisa straight off Da Vinci's easel, snatch the Hope Diamond before it was discovered. This is everything we got into thieving for in the first place. More than everything." The wielder of the cold gun walked away.

Mick looked at his partner. "You want me in, I'm in. But I'm not gonna be anyone's hero." Snart merely smirked, a smirk fitting for a criminal.

* * *

_**Stein's Office**_

While Stein was greatly excited by the offer Rip has given him, Jax was not at all okay with the idea of chasing after an immortal madman. "Jefferson, it's imperative we remain together for our powers to work." Stein stated, attempting to persuade Jax.

"In case you haven't, I'm still getting used to the whole powers thing, and now that you're adding time travel to the mix-"

Stein cut him off. "Do you have any idea what an extraordinary opportunity we've been given?"

"A chance to get murdered by an immortal psychopath." Jax retorted. "No thanks." He walked over to the desk. "Look, I'm a twenty year old auto mechanic. The world is better off without me trying to save it."

Stein turned around. "I don't understand your decision." Jax sighed in annoyance. "But I respect it." The elderly man walked over to a drawer to pour two glasses of alcohol. "But perhaps I can persuade Mr. Hunter that he needs my knowledge as physicist and not my abilities as Firestorm," he walked over to Jax, "so I propose we have a toast to my grand and solo adventure. To saving the world."

The two clinked their glasses. "Knock yourself out." Jax said before consuming his drink.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Stein said.

Jax felt very strange. His world was spinning, he was seeing two Steins in front of him. His glass slipped from his hand, shattering upon colliding with the floor before falling down with a loud thud.

* * *

_**Edge of Star City**_

Stein slowly drove into an empty, muddy lot, an unconscious Jax in the passenger seat. The elderly man opened the door and climbed out. He took out the slip of paper Rip had given him, containing the address of where to meet. Rip was nowhere to be seen. It was just an empty, muddy lot. He gently threw his arms up.

"Professor!" Stein whipped his attention to the direction of the voice, seeing Snart, Mick, Sara, Ray, Troy, Kendra, and Carter approaching. "This is the place."

"I think we're being punked." Ray pointed out. "Do people still say punked?"

"No/Hell no." Sara and Troy said in unison.

"I see your buddy threw himself a going away party." Mick said, spotting the unconscious Jax in the car.

"Yes, I believe he drank something that didn't quite agree with him." Stein half lied as he pocketed the slip of paper.

Snart took notice of Kendra's sour mood. "You don't look too happy to be here." He remarked.

"Perceptive." Kendra said flatly, causing Carter to smile.

"Well," Rip's somewhat ecstatic voice drew the group's attention. "I see you've all decided to come." He rubbed his hands together. "Well then, we can be on our way."

Snart crossed his arms over his chest. "I ain't footing it anywhere." He declared.

"What's wrong, Snart? Forgot your walking cane?" Troy mocked, causing Ray to hold back laughter and Chaos had no problem laughing. Snart glared at the host, but made no other move. He is very well aware of what lives inside Troy, and what he's capable of.

Rip turned to face the group. "A Time Master's sacred charge is to do no harm to the timeline." He said as he took out a device from his coat pocket. "Can you imagine what a timeship would look like in, say, Victorian England?"

"Holographic indigenous camouflage projection." Stein stated in astonishment.

Rip smiled. "Indeed." He pressed down on a button, and the Waverider uncloaked itself.

Snart removed his arms from his chest as everyone stared at the vessel with astonished eyes. "Holy shit." Troy murmured as Carter removed his sunglasses.

"_**That is truly something." **_Chaos said in awe.

"It's called the Waverider. It's been my ship for over a decade." Rip informed them before turning to face them. "Shall we?" He then walked toward the ship.

Troy was the first to walk off from the group, followed by the rest. "Excuse me," Stein said to Mick, "would you mind?" He pointed his thumb to the unconscious Jax. Mick huffed and went over to retrieve Jax. "Thank you." Stein then made way for the Waverider.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Rip walked ahead of his new team as they took in the ship's interior. It was like something out of Star Wars. "Whoa." Ray chuckled, walking with Stein. "I bet it uses ionic propulsion."

"I doubt that very much," the older man countered as they walked down the corridor, "given that even advanced technology wouldn't be able to sustain an ionic reaction."

"It's possible if you stabilize the quantum flux." Ray shot back.

"Nerd alert!" Troy called out from behind, the tendril with Chaos' face flowing from his shoulder, walking with Sara and Snart. The Kylntar was very interested in this ship.

Ray ignored Troy's remark. "You know, we actually covered this before, Professor Stein, when I was your student, many moons ago? Perhaps you remember my paper on subspace field mechanics?"

Stein stared at him, failing to recall when Ray was one of his students. "I don't remember you, Mr. Palmer." The elderly man said before walking ahead.

"Oh." Ray murmured, feeling a bit bummed.

The group entered the bridge. Jax, who was still unconscious, was placed in one of the seats. Mick walked up to Stein, wrapping an arm around the elderly man, pointing to Jax. "Whatever you roofied him with, I'd like some." The arsonist said.

"I did not roofie him." Stein retorted.

"Oh, I ain't judging." Mick shrugged.

The door on the right side of the bridge slid open, Kendra and Carter walking out of it. "I have never seen anything like this." The woman said, a happy expression on her face as she looked around.

"Neither have I," Carter agreed as his eyes roamed around, "and considering I have over four thousand years' worth of memories, that's saying something."

"How does a vessel of this size function without a crew?" Stein asked Rip.

"Oh, I don't need one. I have Gideon." The captain answered as a holographic projection of a woman appeared on the console located in the center of the bridge.

"_Welcome aboard. I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness programmed to operate this vessel's critical systems, and aid Captain Hunter in his mission." _The female AI gave her introduction.

"Captain?" Snart repeated.

"**Is that jealously I hear, Snart?" **Chaos teased, causing Troy to snort in amusement. Snart ignored the Kylntar, not wanting to give the symbiote the satisfaction of seeing him riled up.

"Gideon's been working on helping me locate Vandal Savage." Rip cut in before anything else could be said.

"I thought you said he's pretty active in the twenty second century." Ray reminded.

"Perhaps engaging Savage at the height of his power isn't the best strategy." Stein spoke. Troy opened his mouth, letting a silent 'duh'.

"Indeed." Rip agreed as walked up to the central console. "Unfortunately, Savage has kept his movements hidden throughout history. Not even Gideon can determine where or when we can find him. But I have the next best thing: the man who can." An image of a tan skinned man with white hair and a bowtie appeared on the screen. "Professor Aldus Boardman. Professor Boardman is the world's leading- well, only, leading expert on Vandal Savage." Kendra, Carter, and Troy were familiar with Aldus Boardman, having watched the tape in which the professor explained how to kill Savage two months ago. "We're gonna pay him a little visit."

"_Course plotted for St. Roch, New Orleans." _Gideon announced.

"St. Roch?" Carter repeated. That is where he and Kendra where before they were… taken by Rip. But it felt deeper than that. It felt like he had a personal connection to that place.

"_October seventeenth, nineteen seventy five." _Gideon finished.

"I suggest you all strap yourselves in." Rip advised as he rushed over to the captain's seat. "Temporal navigation isn't something one wants to be standing up for." He finished as he sat down and pulled the metallic harness down.

They didn't need to be told twice. The tendril with Chaos' face slithered back into Troy as every rushed to claim a seat. Snart and Mick obviously took seats next to each other, Troy taking a spot in the three chair row with Sara and Ray. Kendra and Carter sat next to each other, while Stein claimed the seat next to the still unconscious Jax.

"Time travel. Cool." Mick said eagerly as he pulled the harness down.

"Some of you may experience some slight discomfort. In very rare instances there will be some, uh, bleeding from the eyeballs." Rip warned.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kendra demanded, alarmed.

"Does time travel affect Kylntars?" Troy asked, concerned for his other's wellbeing.

"I… honestly do not know." Rip answered.

"_**He doesn't know?!" **_Chaos roared.

Rip tapped a finger on the miniature console screen on his right, and the bridge's lights turned blue, and the ship began to rumble. "The human body is used to time unfolding linearly." Rip said.

The ship began to ascend into the sky, its landing gear retracted. Then finally, Jax slowly regained consciousness, the shaking stirring him awake. "Jefferson, I'm so glad you're awake. I didn't want you to miss this." Stein said.

"Miss what?" Jax groaned as his vision slowly came into focus, then his eyes widened in panic. "What the?!" He exclaimed as he rushed to unfasten his harness.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't unfasten those if I were you." Rip warned. The consequences of doing so were deadly.

"Get me off this- whatever this thing is!" Jax shouted.

"Good luck explaining this." Sara said, not sounding the least bit apologetic, and Troy laughed.

"I did him a favor." Stein countered, and Jax looked at him like he was crazy.

"He doesn't look all that grateful." Snart commented, amusement lining his face.

"Just hang on and remain calm." Rip assuaged them as he seat rotated and slid forth. "All your worlds are about to change." He thrusted the time jump throttle forward.

"Again." Troy said to himself.

An orange glow washed over the Waverider before the vessel darted off at hyperspeed.

Down below, two teenagers had witnessed the Waverider taking off, and they were quite astonished by it.

"That was insanity!" The first said.

"God!" The second exclaimed.

However, a harsh whooshing sound caught their attention. Alarm washed through them when they spotted a figure dressed in brown metallic armor from head to toe, a small brown cape attached to the back of his armor. He as equipped with a large, scoped laser rifle, and a knife rested in its sheath on the left side of his chest armor.

"That is some serious Darth Vader going right there." The first teen said, trembling slightly.

"Chronos to command." The armored man contacted those who had sent him, speaking in a modulated voice. "I am closing in on Captain Hunter's position."

"Hey, what cha doing there, bro?" The second teen asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

Chronos lifted his left gauntleted forearm to inspect the datapad attached to it. "I am determining whether you are integral to the timeline."

"Ok." The second teen said.

Chronos lowered his arm. "You are not." He raised his rifle and fired. The laser struck the second teen, the victim vanishing in green mist. The other teen attempted to flee, but he too was shot. Chronos had just missed his quarry, but he will find him, and his new team.

* * *

_**St. Roch**_

_**1975**_

_**The Waverider**_

The Waverider appeared out of thin air. The ship landed in the interior of a forest before engaging the cloaking device. Within the bridge, the metallic harnesses detached themselves, and Ray shot up from his seat while Mick vomited as Troy blinked. _"Chaos, you still there?" _

"_**Still here." **_The symbiote replied.

"_Good. Can't have you dying on me now." _The host quipped. Troy felt perfectly fine. Perhaps yet another benefit of having a Kylntar living inside is immunity to time travel effects?

"Oh, I should have mentioned it before." Rip began as his metallic harness came off. "Nausea is one of the side effects of time travel, along with-" Ray fell to the floor with a loud thud. "Vertigo."

"I can't see." Stein said wearily, blinking to clear his vision as Jax lifted the metallic harness up.

"And temporary blindness." Rip added as hopped off the captain seat and over to Stein, waving a hand in front of the older man's face. "Oh, it should only last a minute. After all, that was a mere jaunt. The further back in time you go, the worse the side effects." He pressed on. Ray was leaning on the console for support as Kendra and Carter stood up. "Better?"

"It's all relative." Stein said.

"Good." Rip nodded before walking away as everyone, save Troy, waited for the effects of time travel to wear off.

"I can't believe you kidnapped me." Jax sneered at Stein, furious for being dragged into this… whatever this is against his will. He stood up, his gaze fixed on Rip. "Hey, I want to go home."

"Good news, then. Twenty sixteen will be around in, uh, forty one years." Rip said causally. Jax gave the captain an incredulous look. That was anything but good news. "Now," Rip turned his attention to Sara, Troy, Snart, and Mick, "you four, feel free to make yourselves comfortable back here on the ship, while the rest of you are coming with me to find Professor Boardman."

He began to walk off, but Mick's voice stopped him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're benching us?" The arsonist asked, slumped in his seat.

"I thought we were a team?" Sara asked as Rip came back over.

"And doesn't that mean group effort?" Troy added.

"This mission doesn't require your particular skill set." Rip explained. "Yet."

"Meaning you don't need anyone killed, maimed, or robbed." Snart pointed out dryly.

"Precisely." Rip said as began to walk away again, but Ray nudged him to come back.

"You sure it's a good idea to leave these two unsupervised on a time machine?" Ray saw a million things wrong with leaving Snart and Mick onboard this vessel. But he figured as long as Troy and Sara were watching them, they wouldn't try anything funny. Still though…

"Hey, haircut!" Mick snapped, drawing Ray's attention. "Deafness wasn't one of the side effects."

"We better hurry up. Professor Boardman will die in less than twenty four hours." Rip said as he made way for the bridge door.

"What's the point of cutting it so close?" Ray asked, not at all understanding it.

Of course, Stein had the answer. "Because if he's destined to die, then he doesn't have a timeline for us to disrupt, and his impact on the future will be minimal. How brilliant."

Troy raised an eyebrow at the astonishment in Stein's voice. "And depressing." Kendra added with a fake smile before turning her gaze on Rip. "How does he die?"

"Uh, he's found dead in his university from unknown causes. Come on." Rip said hurriedly, clearly impatient. Then he departed from the bridge, Ray, Kendra, and Carter following him.

"Are you coming?" Stein asked Jax.

"I'll stay put." Jax answered, a lace of anger in his voice.

Stein was baffled by the answer. "You'd rather stay with them?" He gestured to Sara, Troy, Snart, and Mick.

"They didn't drug me." Jax said flatly.

"Point taken." Stein conceded before leaving.

* * *

_**St. Roch University**_

St. Roch University was bustling with activity. Students dressed in seventies clothing prowled the walkways, conversing of recent events, or whining about how they didn't study for an upcoming exam. Ray laughed as he walked ahead of Stein, Carter, and Kendra, Rip walking with him. "This is unbelievable. Nineteen seventy five."

"Imagine all the wondrous applications of this technology." Stein began, his mind racing excitedly at the endless possibilities. "A chance to witness the end of the pyramids, the end of the dinosaurs." Kendra had an amused smirk on her face as the professor spoke.

"I've never been to nineteen seventy five." Rip confessed. "It's rather colorful."

"So, where can we find Professor Boardman?" Kendra asked.

"In his lecture hall." Rip answered as they climbed up a short staircase.

A few minutes later, the group entered a large classroom. Tables and textbooks filled the room, chalkboards here and there, and the air was dusty. Rip was the first to enter a small office within the room, tapping on the glass once he spotted Professor Aldus Boardman, unconscious on his typewriter.

"Oh, no. We're too late." Kendra said in slight dismay.

That was proven to not be the case when Aldus sat up, stirred by her voice. "This is- I'm, I'm sorry." He mumbled, but when his gaze landed on Kendra and Carter, his eyes widened. "You." He whispered, his attention solely fixed on Kendra and Carter, who shared glances. "Both of you."

"You know who we are?" Carter asked.

"I've been studying you my whole life." Aldus said as he stood up from his chair and walked over to them. "Ever since, as a child, I first heard the story of Chay-Ara, High Priestess of Horus, the Hawk God, and her lover, Prince Khufu. I hoped and prayed this day might come."

Stein and Ray exchanged glances. "Well, then, looks like we've come to the right place." Rip pointed out the obvious.

Aldus finally took notice of the other three men that were present. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"A fellow historian," Rip lied, "here to dicuss another passion of yours: Vandal Savage."

An unnerving atmosphere settled upon the lot when the immortal's name was spoken. Aldus looked at Kendra and Carter. "There's no way of telling your story without telling his also."

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

To say Sara, Troy, Jax, Snart, and Mick were bored would be an understatement. It had been twenty minutes since the rest of the crew had departed for their little mission. Chaos too was getting bored, and he had occasionally asked Troy if he could eat the two criminals onboard, which Troy declined. Mick was watching a seventies show on one of the Waverider's TVs. "Why does this stupid station play nothing but reruns?" The arsonist complained.

"Don't even bother trying to explain." Jax grumbled to Sara.

The female assassin had ideas in mind. "Am I the only one on this ship who could really use a drink?"

"Nope." Troy piped.

"I say we go get weird in the seventies." Sara suggested.

Snart seemed to like the idea, and he spun on his rear. "Excellent idea."

Sara smirked. "I got the perfect outfit." She then began to walk away.

"_Perhaps Captain Hunter was unclear with his instructions to remain onboard." _Gideon scolded.

"Shut it, metal mouth." Mick said.

Snart then remembered who else was with them. "Oh, you're not quite ready to run with this crew. Sorry, kid." The wielder of the cold gun said, not sorry at all.

Jax was dumbfounded. "Wait, you're just gonna leave me here?"

"I said I'd take care of you." Snart replied as he walked away.

"Sucks to be you!" Troy's amusement heavy voice echoed, leaving Jax more annoyed.

* * *

_**St. Roch University**_

Aldus picked up a textbook which had the story of the immortal and the incarnates, blowing the dust off it. "Four thousand years ago, Vandal Savage was an Egyptian priest," he began as he walked over to the group, "secretly in love with a priestess," his eyes landed on Kendra, "you. Or rather, you in your first life. But you were in love with another. Prince Khufu. Savage, or Hath-Set, as he was then known, learned of the affair was consumed with jealous rage."

"You believe me yet?" Carter asked Kendra, who did not reply.

"Which drove him to murder you both." Aldus continued. "And prayed for the hawk god, Horus, to damn the objects of his hate for all eternity. But Chay-Ara had a prayer of her own, that Horus would protect them forever. But another life was bound to theirs accident."

"Savage's." Kendra immediately deduced. "That's why he wants us both dead."

Aldus walked over to them. "My theory is that the three of you were exposed to the same radiation by the meteorites." He stated.

"We all the share the same power." Kendra added.

"And every time he kills you, it passess to him. That's what maintains his immortality." Aldus stated again.

"That's impossible." Stein denied the theory.

"Unless the meteorites contained a mutative element, like the particle accelerator that caused your powers." Ray chimed in.

"But without evidence, you're asking us to take you at your word?" Stein inquired incredulously.

"It's not my word." Aldus countered before looking at Kendra and Carter. "It's theirs. But you still don't remember me, do you?"

Kendra and Carter blinked. "We knew you in our past lives." Carter said.

Aldus walked around them to a desk, reaching into a black case. "You've told your entire story, stretching back through the ages," he pulled out something, "but when I first knew you, it was after World War One, and your names were Joe and Edith. Edith Boardman."

This revelation surprised Kendra and Carter. "Wait, I- we were related? I don't remember you. I'm so sorry." Kendra apologized, failing to remember Aldus.

Aldus shook his head. "Don't be." He assured her. "You always warned me that if I ran into you in your next life, you might have forgotten me." He handed Kendra a small picture. "That's us at the World's Fair." The picture was of Kendra and Carter, both of them with wide smiles on their faces. But their attention directed on the child Kendra was holding in her arms. Instantly, they connected the dots. "You're just as beautiful as I remember you… mother." Kendra stared at him, her face displaying a multitude of emotions.

Carter really didn't want to ask this question, but he had to know. "How old were you when-"

"You two were murdered?" Aldus finished, the memory of that night still haunting him. "Ten." He said before he began to walk away. "My whole life, you taught me to be careful, to keep moving, always one step ahead of Savage, but after tracking you for four thousand years, he'd gotten good. He found us in the middle of the night," he pressed on as he approached a desk, "at a fleabag motel in North Carolina. You hid me in the closet, made me promise that no matter what I heard, I'd stay put. And I did." Kendra and Carter studied their son, their faces marred with sadness.

"Sorry to interrupt your family time," Rip cut in, "but we were hoping you could tell us a bit more where to locate Savage's present whereabouts."

Aldus turned on the projector, the object coming alive. On the white screen, images of crowds were shown. Savage's face was highlighted with a red circle, a smaller image of the immortal's face were also displayed. "He hides in the shadows," the professor began as he changed the images, "never drawing too much attention, but every lifetime, placing himself near the seat of power, sowing seeds of destruction. Who remembers the name of the man who whispered in the ear of Gavrilo Princip, and convinced him to start World War One?" To anyone else, that question would go unanswered.

"Why, what does he get out of that?" Ray asked, though he knew it wasn't anything good.

"The more the world is focused on destroying itself, the less it notices an immortal psychopath in its midst." Stein answered.

"With the ultimate goal of subjugating the entire planet." Aldus added.

Rip just wanted to get to the point. "He killed your parents, Professor Boardman. Something tells me you know where to locate Vandal Savage."

Aldus was a bit uncomfortable with the gleam in the captain's eyes. "I have an educated guess."

* * *

_**Bar**_

Troy didn't quite get why Sara decided to wear her White Canary outfit to the bar. It made her look out of place. Actually, all four of them looked out of place, considering their clothing.

Mick was at the bar, grabbing beers for himself, Snart, Sara, and Troy. "Ah. Dollar beers. You got to love the seventies." The arsonist preened as he came over and handed his companions their drinks. "Who wants to listen to some _Captain and Tennille_? My mother played it, a lot." He went over to the juke box and pressed down on one of the buttons with a grunt. _Love Will Keep Us Together _started to play.

Sara, Troy, and Snart drank their beers when a woman's voice drew their attention, "Wow, you guys are really far out." She said simply before walking away.

Troy raised an eyebrow at the remark, then Sara's voice drew his attention. "You wanna dance, Troy?"

The host smirked. "You know I don't dance, Sara."

"_**Pussy." **_Chaos teased, causing Troy to roll his eyes.

The youngest Lance shrugged, looking to Snart. "What about you, Leonard?"

The wielder of the cold gun smirked. "You go right ahead. I'll watch."

Sara shrugged again before handing her beer over to Snart. "Suit yourselves."

Troy and Snart watched as Sara danced to the lyrics of the song, when a tall man came over to her, ruffling her hair. "Can I help you?" Sara asked the man.

He smirked perversely. "How about you join me in the parking lot?"

"Ohh, tempting," Sara said, "but you're not my type," she then looked over to the bar, seeing a woman leaning on the counter seductively, "but your lady, on the other, well, she looks just my speed."

The man wasn't really asking Sara. "Maybe you didn't understand my request, bitch." He gripped Sara's wrist.

"_**He's in for a beat down." **_Chaos sneered eagerly.

"_That he is." _Troy agreed, taking another sip of his beer.

Sure enough, Sara confirmed it when she grabbed the man's arm and painfully twisted it, evoking a scream of pain. "Son of a…" He growled as he stumbled back toward the bar.

Sara turned around and gestured for Troy, Snart, and Mick to stay where they are. "I got this." She assured them.

The man slammed a beer bottle on the counter, converting it into a weapon. He glowered at Sara with a murderous gleam in his eyes as he approached the assassin. He swung his arm with the broken beer bottle, but Sara brought her arm up and blocked the swing before fiercely back handing the man. The hit dazed him and he fell to the floor. Another man charged at Sara, who simply shot her leg upward, hitting the man underneath the chin, sending him down onto floor. She whirled around and ducked to avoid a rather sloppy right hook. She grabbed the attacker by the head and slammed him to the floor on his back. She roundhouse kicked another man in the face with a grunt and kicked another man in the stomach. She brought her right arm up to block a left swing before punching the attacker in the chest before giving him a potent and swift right hook. He was sent crashing into a table, his weight crushing it.

Snart and Mick exchanged impressed glances. Troy had a wide smirk on his face as he watched Sara fight, and he knew for a fact that Chaos was also smirking. The host finds women who can fight attractive.

The men stood up on their feet, all of them glaring at Sara, who turned to her three companions. "Now I could stand for a little help."

They didn't need to be told twice. Troy and Snart dropped their beer glasses to the floor, shattering upon impact. Mick grabbed hold of a wooden stool and slammed it against a man who charged at him. Another attacker swung at the arsonist, who smacked the incoming limb out of the way and right hooked him.

A man managed to land a hit on Snart, who retaliated by punching the man in the chest, then in the left side of his face, sending him to the floor. The cold gun wielder then whirled around, his arm outstretched and his clenched fist landed against the right cheek of another man.

Troy ducked his head backwards to avoid a wide left swing, retaliating by delivering two hooks, a left and a right, then kneed the man in the stomach and in the face before following it up with and upper cut. Finally, Troy kicked the man in the stomach, sending the man crashing into the crowd.

Sara kicked a man in the side. He attempted to swing at her, but Sara grabbed the arm with both of her own arms and roughly brought the man's arm down, painfully dislocating it, and a scream tore from the man's throat.

Mick violently slid a man across the bar counter and once the end approached, the arsonist released his hold on him, sending him flying to the floor. "I love the seventies." He growled as Snart threw a man into the juke box, destroying it.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Jax figured now this was his chance to go home. He did not want to be here. Hell, he was basically kidnapped! "Gideon. That is your name, right?" He looked up at the metallic ceiling.

"_How may I help you?" _The female AI asked.

"I assume this ship has a, uh, autopilot or something?" Jax asked.

"_You assume correctly." _Gideon replied.

That's exactly what Jax wanted to hear. "Great." He clasped his hands together. "In that case, I'ma need you to take me back to twenty sixteen. See, me being here, it's all a big mistake."

Unfortunately, fate was not on Jax's side. _"Captain Hunter told me you'd try to do this, and he also told me not to listen to anything you say."_

Jax's eyes widened lividly. "Well, you are computer!" He shouted as he stormed over to the other side of the bridge. "You have to listen to me!"

"_You seem overwrought, Mr. Jackson. If you'd like to go to the MedBay, I'd be happy to prescribe you a sedative." _Gideon suggested, since that room of the ship was extremely advanced.

"I do not need another roofie!" Jax snapped. He was about to say more when something hit the hull of the ship, shaking the vessel violently and knocked Jax off his feet. "Whoa! What was that?!"

"_A thermite grenade. It seems someone is trying to breach the hull." _Gideon answered before activating the ship's scanners, revealing the attacker. _"His name is Chronos. He's a temporal bounty hunter" _Another blast jolted the ship, causing sparks to fly out of random places. _"The ship is taking heavy fire." _

"I know!" Jax shouted. "Aren't we supposed to be invisible or something?" Another blast shook the ship, causing Jax to wince. "You need to get us out of here, now!"

* * *

_**St. Roch University**_

Aldus had a small brown notebook in his hands, it held information of the immortal. "A lifetime of research on Vandal Savage that all points in this direction." He handed the notebook to Carter. "This should up you find him, and the vengeance that has eluded me all these years."

Stein suddenly felt a wave of panic hit him hard, causing his head to throb. Curtesy of the psychic connection he shares with Jax. "Jefferson- something's happening to Jefferson!"

Rip took out a device and inspected it, his heart skipping a beat. "We seem to have a little problem back the, uh, vessel." He swiftly turned his gaze to Kendra and Carter. "There's an intruder." He turned back to Aldus. "We really must be going now. Thank you for everything." He wasted no time in rushing out of the lecture hall.

"Wait." Kendra said as she and Carter followed Rip out into the hallway. "We can't just leave him here."

"We have to get back now." Rip countered without looking at her.

"You said he's going to die in twenty four hours." Kendra reminded.

"And we can stop it." Carter added.

Rip threw his arms into the air. "Are either of you a Time Master?" He asked knowingly, turning around. "I didn't think so. I've spent years studying the implications of chronological alteration." And he knew just how fatal the consequences could be.

"Good for you." Carter spat, his eyes relentlessly boring into Rip's. "But we're not going anywhere unless our son's coming with us."

Rip stared back at him, then reluctantly gave in.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Chronos did not let up on firing upon the Waverider. The ship was no longer cloaked. Within the vessel, Jax sprinted through the corridors, each blast shaking the ship, causing sparks to fly and exhaust to hiss out of pipes. "Why is Chronos attacking us?!"

"_Perhaps Captain Hunter is best suited to answer that query." _Gideon replied.

"Fire photon torpedoes or something!" Jax shouted as he made way for the cargo bay.

"_Only Captain Hunter is authorized."_

"Where is Captain Hunter?!"

Outside…

"Dr. Palmer, please tell me-" Rip began as he, Stein, Aldus, and Ray sprinted toward the Waverider.

"I didn't leave my exo-suit on the ship? Okay, but I'd be lying." Ray answered.

Chronos fired into the now open cargo bay, the laser bolt causing Jax to scuttle backwards. Carter swooped in and hit his mace across Chronos' helmet, sending the bounty hunter flying. Chronos attempted to get back up, but Kendra landed on the ground and kicked the armored figure back onto the ground. The bounty hunter stood up and moved to aim his weapon, but Kendra grabbed the rifle and struck Chronos across the helmet. The bounty hunter was unfazed and the two struggled before Chronos threw Kendra to the ground. He brought his fist down, but Kendra positioned his weapon between herself and Chronos. The bounty hunter's attack caused the weapon to fire.

The laser bolt zipped passed between Rip and Stein, barely missing them as they took cover behind an old worn down wagon. "Who the hell is this guy?" Ray asked.

Chronos was stronger than Kendra, and she was struggling against keeping him at bay. Carter landed on the ground, connecting his mace across the bounty hunter's helmet, sending him skidding across the ground as Kendra and Carter took flight.

Rip took out his laser revolver from his holster and fired, a blue laser bolt escaping the barrel of the weapon. He fired a couple of times, one of the bolts striking Chronos in the upper right chest area. "Is that a laser gun?" Aldus asked, astonished.

Rip glanced at him over his shoulder before redirecting his attention back to Chronos, who had taken cover behind a rock. The two exchanged fire before one of Chronos' bolts struck the wagon, sending Rip, Stein, Ray, and Aldus to their chests with grunts. "I gotta get back to the ship and bond with Jefferson." Stein declared while standing up. "Cover me!"

"Cover me too!" Ray added as he swiftly stood up and followed after Stein. Rip stood up and fired at Chronos. The bounty hunter swapped his focus, seeing more exposed targets. He aimed his rifle at Stein, choosing him since the elderly man could not run as fast.

Within the Waverider, Jax observed Stein sprinting toward the ship as best as he could from one of the screen terminals. "Oh, you crazy old man." Jax shook his head.

Outside, Chronos fired and the laser bolt struck the ground near Stein, knocking the elderly man off his feet. Chronos pointed his weapon to the sky and fired at Carter, who barely swerved out of the way. Ray rushed over and helped Stein to his feet. "Thank you, Mr. Palmer." The older man gave his gratitude.

"Seriously? It's Dr. Palmer." Ray retorted as they sprinted toward the Waverider.

Chronos stood up, a beeping grenade in his right hand. "Get down!" Rip shouted at Aldus as Chronos tossed the grenade toward their position, the explosion knocking them down onto their chests.

"We need to merge!" Stein shouted at Jax as Ray went to retrieve his Atom suit.

Chronos stalked over to Rip and Aldus, another grenade in his hand. But he never got the chance to toss it when a red car drove out from the forest and slammed its rear against him, sending him flying yet again. Rip looked over at the car and his eyes widened when he saw Sara, Troy, Snart, and Mick climb out. "We go out for one lousy drink," Snart began as he took out his cold gun, the weapon charging up, "and you guys somehow manage to pick a fight with Boba Fett."

"_Ready for some action?" _Troy asked his other.

"_**Yes." **_Chaos replied eagerly before the host's clothes began to shift.

Inside the Waverider, Stein and Jax clasped hands, merging into Firestorm as Ray in his Atom suit flew out of the cargo bay, Firestorm right behind him.

Chronos stood up as Ray and Firestorm fired down upon him. Rip rapidly patted Aldus on the back, wordlessly saying 'let's go'. Chronos took aim at the sky, but a large, clawed hand collided with his helmet, sending him skidding across the ground.

Chaos opened his maw to unleash a thunderous roar, saliva flying out of his mouth. He spread his claws, the talons on each hand extending and sharpening. Chronos stood up, taking aim, but the Kylntar smacked the weapon. But Chronos had already pulled the misaligned laser bolt striking the ground near Aldus, sending the professor off his feet. Aldus lifted his hand up, seeing blood on it, and his whole body screamed in pain.

"Aldus!" Kendra shouted as she and Carter landed on the ground.

"We'll get you out of here!" Carter assured his son as he and Kendra helped him up.

Chronos swung his fist at Chaos, hitting the Kylntar in the face. Chaos snorted in amusement before slashing his claws across Chronos' chest armor. Chaos grabbed the bounty hunter by the leg and repeatedly slammed Chronos onto the ground before letting go, watching as the armored figured roughly skid across the ground.

"_Time to go!" _Troy shouted, seeing the rest of the team retreating into the Waverider.

"_**But I want to bite off his head!" **_Chaos whined.

"_I'm sure we'll have another chance! Let's go!" _Troy retorted.

The Kylntar snarled in disappointment, but made way for the Waverider as Kendra and Carter helped Aldus onto the ship while Rip, Snart, and Mick provided cover fire, as Chronos struggled to get up, clearly weakened by his fight with Chaos.

"_Professor Boardman has sustained severe internal injuries." _Gideon informed as Chaos retracted back into Troy.

"Prepare the medbay to receive Professor Boardman and get us out of here!" Rip ordered as he rushed up the stairs.

"_Course heading?" _Gideon asked.

"Anywhere but here!" Rip answered.

But the time Chronos had gotten back on his feet, the Waverider was long gone.

* * *

_**The Temporal Zone**_

Rip sat in the captain's seat while everyone was seated in the jump seats. _"Our cloaking shield and aft entrance have been significantly compromised, Captain." _Gideon gave the damage report.

"Yes," Rip replied as tapped on the screen and the harness came off, "I can see that, Gideon. Station us in the temporal zone while I work on repairs." The captain walked over to his study.

"Temporal zone?" Ray asked as he stood up from his jump seat.

"Yeah, it's essentially a time limbo." Rip explained as he grabbed a bag which contained tools off a desk. "We can hide out there for a bit," he continued as he walked out of his study, "another temporal jump would risk revealing our position."

"A time limbo?" Stein repeated in awe. "Astonishing." Troy rolled his eyes.

"Oh, there's something you people don't know about time travel?" Rip asked rhetorically as he went over to a damaged portion of a wall on the left side of the bridge, which exposed some of the interior systems and wiring. "That's surprising, isn't it? Considering none of you have ever time traveled before." He began to work on the repairs. "Bringing a family member from the past onto a timeship? Breaking out and carousing around in the nineteen seventies? We've barely begun, and already this is the worst, unmitigated disaster of my career."

He turned around and was greeted by a fist to the face, curtsey of Kendra. Troy whistled loudly and Mick laughed as well while walking up to Carter. "I see why you got the hots for that one." The arsonist remarked, earning a smirk from Carter.

Kendra gripped Rip by the collar of his coat and roughly pinned him against the wall. "My son is hurt because of you. Who attacked us?" She demanded angrily.

Rip sighed. "Something of a long story.

"Better tell it fast, Rip," Snart suggested as he stood up, "'cause it doesn't look like the lady's in a patient mood."

"Neither am I." Carter growled.

Rip knew he was busted. "His name is Chronos. He works for the Council of Time Masters." Kendra released her hold on him. "My former employers."

Troy arched an eyebrow. "Former employers?" He repeated as Sara stood up from her jump seat.

"I thought you were a Time Master." Sara said in a dangerous tone.

"As I've expressed," Rip began as he met Sara halfway, "time is not a linear thing. At some point I was, in fact, a Time Master." Sara right hooked him. "Will you people please stop hitting me?!"

"Start telling the truth!" Sara retorted.

Rip threw his arms out and they landed loudly against his sides. "I relinquished my position as a Time Master when I commandeered the Waverider. Chronos was clearly sent to bring me in."

"You lied to us." Stein said.

"Of course I lied to you. I needed your help- you all barely said yes as it was." Rip countered.

"What about the legends part?" Jax asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Rip remained silent. "Ooh, you lied about that too, didn't you?" Snart stated.

"I chose you all because a hundred years from now, your lives have minimal effect on the recorded timeline. I needed your help without disturbing the history of twenty one sixty six." Rip explained. Troy scoffed venomously.

"So, we're like the opposite of legends." Jax deadpanned.

"Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kill you." Mick growled.

"Ditto the arsonist." Stein surprisingly agreed.

"_**Let's bite his head off!" **_Chaos barked excitedly.

"Because Gideon won't listen to your commands and you'd be stuck here forever." Rip told them.

"_Yeah, I don't want to be stuck here forever." _Troy shot down his other's eagerness, then a thought struck him. _"How did you not pick up on this guy lying back on the rooftop?"_

"_**Uuuuuuh…" **_Chaos trailed off.

"Great, so we're not an elite team of heroes on a sanctioned mission sent to rid the future of its most horrific bad guy. Just a collection of nobodies who time really doesn't give a damn about." Ray said.

Rip attempted to salvage this situation. "I didn't lie about the mission itself." He glanced to everyone in the bridge. "Or the brutality and ruthlessness of Savage. Or my need for your help."

"You know," Troy started, drawing Rip's attention, "you don't strike me as the kind of guy who quits his job out of the blue to go take on someone who makes Ra's al Ghul look like a purring kitten unless it's personal. So, tell us, Rip, what did Vandal Savage do to you?"

Rip blinked a few times before sighing. "The Time Masters discourage marriage. They urge against procreation even more. A Time Master should be free of any personal entanglements that might compromise him." He paused, his face becoming lifeless. "But… I fell in love. And we had a child. A boy… Jonas." The memory struck him as if he was being ran over by an eighteen wheeler. Cradling the lifeless bodies of Miranda and Jonas in his arms, murdered at the hands of Vandal Savage.

The tension didn't quite vanish, but an air of somberness fell upon the lot as they put two and two together. "Savage killed your family." Ray said

"He slaughtered my family." Rip corrected, voice heavy with emotion. "And thousands of other families. And that body that I swore an oath to serve turned a blind eye. They continue to turn a blind eye. I won't. The last thing that my child saw in this world was that monster's face. You can be damn well sure that when Savage dies, the last face he sees will be mine. I understand, given the circumstances, if you wish to return home. We make the jump once the repairs are done, if and when Professor Boardman stabilizes."

Kendra wasted no time in storming out of the bridge, Carter following after her. "I think we all need a little time to consider our options." Stein spoke on everyone's behalf.

Rip simply nodded, unsure if they would decide to stick around, considering he lied straight to their faces.

In the medbay, Kendra stood next to Aldus, who laid in a bed/chair hybrid, a blue light hanging above him from the ceiling. "Just get some rest." Kendra soothed her son, from a previous life.

"There's something I wanted you to have." Aldus gestured to his neck. "It's around my neck." Kendra reached in and removed a bright silver necklace, attached to a beautiful ornament. "It was my mother's. Yours." He clarified.

"It's beautiful." Kendra murmured softly, eyeing the necklace. "I remember it."

Aldus smiled weakly, then shuddered audibly. He closed his eyes slowly and exhaled his last breath, passing on to the next world.

Kendra caressed his forehead, a pang of grief striking her. Unable to take it, she walked out of the medbay, where Carter was leaning against the corridor wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Thank you. Rip wouldn't allowed me to bring Aldus onboard if you hadn't said so-"

"Of course." He walked away from the wall, approaching Kendra. "Chay-Ara," he smiled, forgetting that she doesn't like being called that, "sorry. Kendra."

"No, it's okay." Kendra said. "Chay-Ara is fine." Carter smiled.

Stein walked down the halls of the Waverider alone. He rounded a right corner and saw Jax sitting on a pipe attached to the wall just above the floor. "Seems an apology is in order." He began, drawing Jax's attention. "I should never have forced you to come along. But, for me, the opportunity to travel through time, see the mysteries of the universe revealed, notions I've spent my whole life studing-"

"Please do not geek me out on quantum physics right now." Jax pleaded.

"Mr. Hunter was offering grand adventure. And at my age, you never know how many adventures you have left." Stein said.

"Hey," Jax began, standing up, "I saw your forty yard dash onto the ship with that Chronos guy shooting at you. I think you got plenty of adventures left."

His words caused Stein to smile. "Yes, perhaps you're right. Back home. As Firestorm."

"What if I don't want to go home?" Jax's query took Stein aback. "Yet, I mean."

"Why the change of heart?" Stein asked.

"You ever play football?" Jax questioned. Stein tilted his head in a way that said 'no'. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Anyway… the best feeling I ever got from being on the field wasn't when I made a great play, or we won some game. It was when one of my teammates took a tackle for me, and I knew they were gonna make sure I was safe, that nobody got to me. Watching all of you rush back to the ship even those two knuckleheads, to take on Chronos? Made me feel the same way. I like being part of a team, man." He finished.

Stein nodded happily. "Me too." And so, the two walked the halls together.

Sara, Troy, Ray, Snart, and Mick were sitting in the cargo bay. Sara and Troy sat across from each on the left side of the room while Snart and Mick claimed the far right, the arsonist working on his flamethrower.

Ray was working on his suit's gauntlet when he unintentionally fired, almost hitting Mick. "Watch it!" The arsonist snapped.

"Sorry. Sorry." Ray said calmly as Mick glared at him before resuming to work on his flamethrower. Ray then sighed. "What's the point of us even giving this a second thought? Rip has already seen the future. He knows exactly what's in store for each of us. Might as well have stayed dead, 'cause the world doesn't need any of us." He looked at Sara. "You're just a lost assassin." He looked at Troy. "You're the host of an alien parasite."

"_**PARASITE?!" **_Chaos bellowed angrily, causing the host to flinch. Troy had _long _gotten used to having another voice in his head, and sometimes said voice finds amusement in acting as an alarm clock in the morning. But Chaos' sudden outbursts do startle Troy occasionally.

"Ray then looked at Snart and Mick. "You're just a pair of good for nothing criminals."

"I can live with that." Mick shrugged, not ceasing in working on his flamethrower.

"Well, I can't." Ray retorted. "Can't live with somebody putting a cap on my destiny. Spent my whole life working to be something greater by becoming smaller. Then some guy comes along and tells me that being the Atom is as insignificant as an actual atom."

"That's not what he said." Sara retorted, and Troy nodded in agreement. She stood up. "Rip said that in _his _future we're nobodies, but this mission is about changing the future. I mean, if we have the power to change the world, don't you think we have the power to change our own fate?"

Mick looked over at the assassin. "For better or for worse." Snart stated.

"That's a very good point." Ray agreed.

"Yeah," Troy said, drawing everyone's attention, "we dictate our own futures."

In the bridge, Rip was still working on repairs. A fuse blew, causing sparks to fly and Rip to recoil back. He sighed. "What do you think, Gideon?"

"_I calculate a less than six percent likelihood that they decide to go on with the mission." _Gideon replied, not understanding what Rip really asked.

"I meant about the repairs." He corrected.

"_And there has been another unfortunate consequence of Chronos' attack. Care to hear about it?"_

"Not really."

"He's gone." Kendra's voice drew Rip's attention, she and Carter walking into the bridge. "Our son- or, our son from our previous life. It's all too confusing."

"I'm very sorry." Rip said, taking blame for Aldus' death.

"Actually, you don't get the blame for this." Kendra corrected, surprising Rip. "This was my fault. If I hadn't insisted on bringing him back here, he might have died peacefully, in his sleep maybe." In her eyes, she may as well have killed Aldus.

"Don't torture yourself with recriminations." Rip assuaged. "One of the great lessons of time travel is that many things cannot be changed. Time wants to happen." The others walked into the bridge. "Chronos, even Vandal, won't be the only enemy we face. Very often, it will be time itself."

"Whether it wants to happen or not, we're gonna change time, erase Savage's future, and earn our rightful place in history." Ray stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Dr. Palmer is correct." Stein agreed. "We may not be legends in your time, Captain, but we are going to decide our own fates."

"My roommate and I are in." Troy declared, the tendril with Chaos' face flowing from his shoulder.

Rip nodded at the elderly man and the host, then Carter's voice drew his attention. "I don't give a damn about being a legend, as long as we end Savage once and for all."

"I can get down with that." Jax said, nodding.

Stein then turned his attention to the two criminals. "And our malcontents?"

"I like killing people." Mick said casually.

"We're in. For now." Snart gave his answer.

Rip nodded and moved to the captain's seat. "So how do we find this guy?" Sara asked.

"Professor Boardman had a theory about that." Rip answered as he pulled the harness down. "I've already had Gideon plot a course." It was time to save the future!

* * *

_**Norway**_

_**1975**_

Dead soldiers laid on the ground, blood pouring out of them. Vandal Savage walked by them, not bothering to glance at the ones his men had just killed. He stood on a wooden crate. "You know what this is?" He asked his men, gesturing to the wooden crate in the truck's trunk. "An instrument to make this world a better place. History teaches us that the cause of humanity is only advanced through strife. There's no Renaissance without the Dark Ages. Man had no interest in splitting the atom until World War Two."

One of his men opened the crate, revealing a nuclear warhead. Savage caressed his hands along its surface. "I'm just trying to make this world a better place, one war at a time." He finished, his sinister smirk suggesting anything but benevolent plans for the world.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Please leave a review, and until next time, have an awesome day, and stay tuned for more!**


	2. Pilot Part Two

**Helloooooooooooo everybody! Here is chapter two!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only my OCs.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**Norway**_

_**1975**_

_**The Waverider**_

The Waverider appeared out of thin air, descending into the fjords of northern Norway. "And we've arrived." Rip announced as the captain seat slid backwards. "Gideon, if you wouldn't mind camouflaging us as an alpine meadow, perhaps?"

Mick gripped his head and leaned forward after his harness came off, his elbow on his knee. "What are you complaining about now?" Snart asked. "It's not like we time jumped."

"I hate flying, especially in… whatever this thing is." Mick groaned in answer.

"Where exactly are we?" Carter inquired.

"We're still nineteen seventy five, right?" Kendra asked.

"Indeed." Rip answered as he stood up from his seat and went over to his study as everyone stood up from their seats while the tendril with Chaos' face formed out of Troy's shoulder, fixing his gaze on Ray, who didn't notice, yet. "October nineteen seventy on the fjords of northern Norway."

"Sounds like a vacation." Troy remarked.

"Which we can take as soon as the threat of Savage has been neutralized, Mr. Winter." Rip said as he walked into his study, grabbing Aldus' notebook from the table that rested in the middle of the room.

"That's Aldus' notebook." Carter pointed out as Rip stopped at the doorway between the bridge and the study room.

"Now he theorized that Savage _might _be here, and if he's right, and if we can capture Savage, then at least Professor Boardman didn't die in vain." Rip said to Kendra and Carter.

"Can we just go back and save Aldus?" Kendra asked.

"He was our son." Carter said, arms crossed over his chest.

"Look, I'm sorry." Rip began. "We can't go back and change events in which we participated. Time would fold in on itself, creating a temporal vortex." The captain went back to looking at the notebook.

"Which sounds way cooler than it is." Ray commented, still not noticing Chaos staring at him.

"Forgetting physics for a second," Sara cut in, "shouldn't we figure out what Savage is doing in Norway?"

"According to Gideon," Rip started as he walked over to the central console, "there is a large meeting of terrorists and fringe groups looking to buy illegal arms." The console screen came alive, displaying the area where the weapons auction was taking place.

"Now that sounds like a vacation." Mick said with a smirk.

"Arms dealers and terrorists aren't exactly our kind of people," Snart said as he leaned on the console, "but they're the next best thing." He finished, looking at Sara, who stared back at him with an unreadable expression.

"Well, looks like you and your lapdog get to earn your keep." Carter said slyly, causing Troy to chuckle as he and Kendra looked at Mick.

"I'm no one's lapdog, birdman." The arsonist growled.

"So what exactly does one wear to a black market arms bazaar, anyway?" Kendra asked with her arms crossed over her chest, since their current clothing would make them stick out too easily.

"The Waverider has a fabrication room which fashion temporally indigenous, uh, fashion." Rip answered as he walked back into his study.

"You got a room that makes clothing?" Jax asked.

"Doesn't everyone?" Rip called back.

Finally, Ray took notice of Chaos staring at him, and he felt a little unnerved at the sight of an alien with razor sharp teeth just looking at him. "Uh, is there a reason he's looking at me?" Ray asked Troy.

The host shrugged. "Probably 'cause you called him a parasite." He said, and Chaos growled in confirmation.

Ray winced. He forgot that Kylntars _HATE _being called parasites. "Oh, right." He said, chuckling nervously. "Sorry I called you a parasite."

Chaos stared at him for a few more seconds, before grunting in satisfaction before retracting back into Troy. "You're lucky he's in a good mood." The host said.

Snart, Troy, Ray, Mick, and Rip were walking down the corridor, getting ready to dot their I's and cross their T's. "All right, first thing we need to do is work up a plan." Ray pointed out.

"Got a lot of experience infiltrating gatherings?" Snart asked knowingly, not giving Ray a chance to reply. "Didn't think so. I'm calling the shots."

"Actually, I'm in charge, in case any of you have forgotten." Rip reminded as he walked past Ray and Snart.

"No, I remember. I just don't care." Snart snarked.

Rip stopped walking. "Do I need to remind any of you that I'm a Time Master?"

"Ex-Time Master." Troy quipped.

Rip ignored Troy's remark. "Making discrete alterations to the timeline is what I do, so we're not just gonna charge into the past like a bull into a china shop-."

"Half of what you've told us about the mission turned out to be lies." Mick cut in

"Only Mr. Winter, his alien companion, and I have encountered Vandal Savage. The rest of you haven't. And I'm telling you now, you are making a big mistake." Rip said gravely.

Ray scoffed. "Already did that when we trusted you." Amused, Troy let out a loud 'oooh' before he, Ray, and Snart walked off.

"Back soon, Captain." Mick said as he brushed by Rip, leaving with an annoyed look, hoping they wouldn't screw things up.

* * *

_**Weapons Auction Site**_

Sara, Troy, Snart, Mick, and Stein were walking down a narrow path next to the building where the illegal weapons auction was being held. Troy and Sara were wearing dark blue leather shirts, cargo pants, boots, and bandanas around their heads. Snart had ditched his usual blue coat, wearing a black suit. Mick and Stein had their usual outfits.

The group walked toward the entrance, noticing a bald headed guard checking the IDs of those who wished to enter. "Looks like they're checking credentials." Troy observed.

"And we don't have any." Sara added.

"We got this, trust us." Mick assured.

"When hell freezes over." Troy sneered under his breath, and Chaos growled in agreement.

Snart purposely bumped into a passing by terrorist, causing the man to grunt. "Excuse you."

"IDs." The bald headed guard said firmly. Snart handed him a yellow slip. The guard examined it for a few seconds before lifting his gaze up, eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You don't look like an Amhad Ahmed Izz-Al-Din."

"I'm Arab. On my mother's side." Snart said causally.

"Is there a problem?" Stein demanded, drawing the guard's attention as the elderly man came over. "I don't like delays. Do you know who we are?" The guard simply stared at him. "My associates and I are the operational arm of Scimitar. The Lombardi Square bombing, nineteen sixty three." Sara and Mick exchanged smirks while Troy subtlety raised an eyebrow. "Murder of Henri Tyran, Cnadam nineteen seventy. Koing Airport Massacre, nineteen seventy one. Bottom line? You don't want to doubt me."

Troy was a bit unnerved by Stein's act. _**"Is there an evil and crazy side to the professor?" **_Chaos asked.

"_I seriously hope not." _The host replied.

Snart plucked the yellow slip from the guard's fingers, and the man allowed them access into the building. "You're a special kind of crazy. I like it." Mick said in Stein's ear as they walked inside.

"We're in." Snart announced once they were in. The interior of the building was littered with vehicles, explosive ordnances, and guns. Terrorists were chatting with each other.

Troy scowled at the scenery. Terrorists. He _HATES _terrorists, people who want to cause death and destruction, ruining innocent lives for their own twisted reasons. When he and Chaos first started their nightly vigilante activities four years ago, they made a code. Criminals such as murderers, rapists, and terrorists get the death sentence. Crooks such as thieves and drug dealers either get a beat down or a warning, sometimes both. And every single person in here fits the bill for the death penalty. Had he and Chaos been native to this time period, Troy would have already let the Kylntar loose by now.

Chaos beamed hungrily at the scenery. It was an all you can eat buffet in here for him. _**"So many brains, hearts, and livers." **_The Klyntar rumbled, mentally licking his teeth.

_"Remember why we're here." _Troy reminded, and Chaos pouted.

"_So why don't I get to play terrorist?" _Jax whined over the com link as he walked with Kendra and Carter on the rooftop, causing Troy to roll his eyes.

"This is just a kidnapping, no need for your nuclear fireworks." Snart explained. "Savage'll be one of the buyers. Once we get eyes on, hang back. We'll boost him once this is all over."

And so, the group subtly gazed around, looking for their target. _"Any sign of him?" _Carter asked not even a minute later.

"No." Snart answered.

"He's not here, boss." Mick added.

"Let's get Ginger, Host, and the Professor and move out." Snart said.

"If I could have your attention." A man called from the platform that rested in the center of the building. "Thank you all for coming. I promise, it will be well worth your time." He finished as a familiar man walked up onto the platform.

"Looks like we were wrong about Savage." Troy commented.

"Indeed, he's not one of the buyers." Stein added.

"He's the seller." Sara piped in, eyeing the immortal.

"This is a variable yield nuclear warhead," Savage began as two of his men rolled the object in question up to his side, "capable of producing a blast equivalent to one megaton of TNT."

"Shall we begin our bidding at one hundred million dollars?" Savage's associate asked. One of the buyers pointed his rifle upward, firing at the ceiling. "One hundred million. Do I hear one hundred five?" Gunshot. "One hundred ten?" Gunshot. "One hundred fifteen?" The man then noticed Savage staring ahead at nothing in particular. "Is everything alright, sir?"

Savage could sense _them_, and more importantly, _her_. "They're here." He said vaguely. His eyes searched the crowd until they landed on Sara, Troy, Snart, Mick, and Stein. "That group. Where are they from?"

Stein noticed the attention Savage was giving them. "It appears we've drawn some unwanted attention." He stated as another buyer shot his weapon to the ceiling, signaling he had one hundred twenty million dollars. "We need to bid. Fire your gun in the air."

Mick pulled out the revolver he always kept on him in the event his flamethrower was either damaged or missing and fired at the ceiling. "That's one hundred twenty five." Savage's associate announced.

"Uh, what's happening?" Sara asked, her voice a bit nervous as she noticed the crowd was looking at them.

"Going once…"

"It's what's not happening that's the problem." Troy said grimly.

"Going twice…"

"Nobody else is bidding." Snart observed.

"Sold!"

"Congratulations, professor. You just bought yourself a nuclear weapon." Mick told Stein.

One of the buyers came over to the group, flanked by two masked men armed with assault rifles. Troy immediately recognized him, and it took every ounce of restraint not to lash out and attack him, since he is the very man that Oliver, Dig, Quentin, Laurel, Thea, and Felicity were going up against back in the present. The man who wants Star City to die.

"Well, well. We seem to have a new player." Damien Darhk noted, his eyes fixed on Stein. "But you seem a bit academic. How did you get in here and who are you?"

"_**Of course Damien Darhk would be at an event like this." **_Chaos hissed hatefully, and Troy mentally nodded in agreement.

"_I wouldn't be surprised if Darhk and Savage know each other." _The host added, eyeing Darhk with hidden contempt.

"As of a few seconds ago, I'm a nuclear power." Stein replied to the head of HIVE's earlier question.

"Yet I don't know you or your organization, and I know everyone." Darhk said, face marred with suspicion.

"Hey, back off." Mick growled, placing a few fingers on Darhk's chest.

"Watch your tone." Darhk warned as Savage came over.

"Is there some sort of problem here?" Savage inquired, looking at the arsonist.

"Yeah, the master race here is starting to bug me." Mick answered with a contemptuous gleam in his eyes, lightly pushing Darhk away.

"We're just gonna get our nuclear warhead and be on our way." Snart said, pulling Mick away before he did something to blow their cover.

"Not without paying first." Savage's associate countered firmly.

"Once we've validated that the warhead's operational." Stein began, drawing Darhk's and Savage's attention. "Personally, I find it highly unlikely that you were able to accumulate enough fissionable material in this era to fashion a workable nuclear device."

Savage's face was contorted with suspicion upon hearing two particular words. "This era?" The immortal repeated.

Stein realized he had said too much. "Figure of speech."

Troy knew Savage wasn't buying it. _"He's onto us." _He said gravely.

"_**Stein needs to know when to stop talking." **_Chaos grumbled in annoyance.

On the rooftop, Jax knew this mission was about to go south. "I got a feeling you guys might want to get those helmets of yours on."

Inside…

"Change of plans!" Savage announced as he walked back onto the platform. "I'll provide a twenty five discount to the organization which brings me the heads of these men." He pointed to Sara, Troy, Snart, Mick, and Stein, and all eyes went to them.

"Can I burn some stuff now?" Mick growled in Snart's ear.

"I wish you would." Snart replied.

Mick pulled out his flamethrower and fired, the flames hitting a stack of barrels, causing them to explode as Kendra and Carter flew into building.

It became a battle ground. Snart had pulled out his cold gun, Chaos had taken over, and Sara pulled out her batons. Stein made way for the exit, but was stopped by the same bald headed guard from earlier, who grabbed Stein roughly by the collar of his shirt.

"Now would be a good time-." Stein said worriedly.

"Yeah. To kill you." The guard growled.

"I wasn't talking to you."

A miniature Ray flew out of Stein's pocket and punched the guard, sending him staggering back. Ray then flew over to one of the small guard towers, knocking the sniper off it. He then darted over, landing on a tire of an APC for jumping over to a bomb, springing off it and hitting another terrorist, sending him flying back. His weapon systems fired two hard light beams, both of them finding their mark. He flew over to another guard tower, knocking the sniper off that one before growing into normal size, landing on the floor. He punched a man in the upper chest area, sending him flying back. Another man rushed him, firing his pistol, but Ray gave him a fierce left hook.

Sara smacked her left baton across the face of a charging terrorist before whirling around to block a man attempting to hit her with his shotgun. Sara then swung her right baton low, knocking the man off his feet. She ducked to dodge a right hook before roundhouse kicking the attacker.

Snart and Mick were back to back, firing their weapons, hitting anyone who came their way.

Chaos fiercely backhanded a terrorist, the strength behind the hit sending the man flying into another terrorist. The Kylntar darted around, punching another terrorist in the face before grabbing the same man and tossed him at a truck. Chaos leapt into the air, landing in front of two terrorists, grabbing them and jumped back into the air, spinning around once before letting them go, crashing into a wall. Chaos roared as he landed back on the floor, and several tendrils shot out, latching onto the guns of several terrorists. The tendrils reeled back, disarming the terrorists, only to send the guns flying back at their owners, the weapons slamming into their faces. Chaos grabbed a terrorist by the head and flipped over, throwing his victim into a stack of barrels. Chaos then looked to his hands, watching as they morphed into large scythe like blades. He flung the deadly blades, slicing those who were unlucky enough to be caught in their path. Chaos unleashed another thunderous roar as he retracted his weapons before climbing up on the pillars. Chaos latched onto the rafters, more tendrils sprouting out to add more hold on the rafters. He then pulled on some of the rafters and ripped them off, throwing them down to the floor. Some of the terrorists were pinned under the torn rafters. Chaos jumped down from the rafters, the tendrils slithering back into him. He landed on top a terrorist, whose eyes went wide with fear, shock, and terror. Chaos growled deeply before snatching the man by the leg, brutally slamming him onto the floor before failing him at other terrorists before letting go.

Ray back handed a charging terrorist, sending him to the floor. He delivered two hooks, a left and a right, to another, before grabbing the arm of the first terrorist, giving him uppercut before ducking to avoid a wide right swing.

Kendra picked a man up and ascended into the air. The captive screamed as Carter brought his mace down, the weapon colliding with the man's chest.

Savage remained on the platform, examining his enemies with an insane grin. A man in a robotic suit, weapons that shoot fire and ice? Yes, they were definitely from the future. Wasn't exactly hard for him to believe. After all, he is immortal. But Savage was more interested in the black creature. Throughout his four thousand year existence, he had never seen anything like it. Perhaps, the beast is not of this world? But then he directed his attention to _them_.

As if on cue, Kendra and Carter landed on the platform Savage was standing on, their wings retracting into their backs. "Savage." Carter sneered.

"Prince Khufu." Savage greeted, taking a step back. "As always, the fashion plate." He reached into his coat and tossed out one of the thirty two knives he kept under there. Carter brought up his mace and blocked the knife, the blade clattering to the floor. "And your better half." Savage turned his attention to Kendra, lust gleaming in his eyes.

"This ends here and now, Savage. You're coming with us." Kendra declared firmly.

"I doubt you can apprehend me… and stop a nuclear explosion." Savage countered before pressing down on the button, initiating the countdown sequence. Three more terrorists approached Kendra and Carter, and Savage took his leave.

Snart shot his cold gun at a terrorist while Mick smacked his flamethrower against the face of another while Carter kicked another in the stomach as Kendra punched another in the chest twice. Sara spun around and her baton violently landed against a terrorist's face, knocking him to the ground. Sara spun around again and swung her baton once more, the metal stick colliding with a rifle before swing her batons low, knocking the man off his feet. Chaos sent out several tendrils, colliding with several terrorists, sending them violently flying away.

"You screwed that up pretty good." Jax remarked at Stein as the former rushed in and stopped at Stein's side.

"I had it handled." The older man countered confidently.

"I like how you actually believe that." Jax said.

Stein held his hand out, and Jax immediately took, the two merging into Firestorm, flying off while sending a fireball out, exploding near two men.

Sara walked up the platform, smacking a terrorist with her baton before walking up to the ticking nuclear bomb. "Um, we got a nuclear bomb here." He pointed out. Ray flew over, miniaturizing in size and flew into the bomb. Just a few seconds later, the timer went from one minute and thirty seconds to thirty seconds. "Ray! What did you do?!"

Ray flew out of the bomb, reverting back to normal size as he hit a ceiling rafter before landing next to Sara. "I didn't do anything. It must have a failsafe."

Sara placed a finger on her com piece. "Professor, Jax, we need you!"

Firestorm wasted no time in flying over and scooped up the bomb in his arms. Ray turned around and attempted to block a man bashing his rifle. The man swung his weapon again, knocking off a piece of Ray's suit.

Firestorm flew out of the building and made way for a small island in the middle of a lake. _"You have to get to a minimum safe distance." _Stein advised.

Jax landed, placing the bomb down on the ground. "Okay, what now?" He asked as he walked around it.

"_We wait for the warhead to go off, at which point you're going to have point zero six seconds to absorb the massive release of atomic energy." _Stein explained.

Jax didn't like the idea. "Your plan sucks. You know that, right?"

"_Concentrate, Jefferson."_

Jax placed his hands on the warhead, and the bomb went off, creating a small mushroom cloud and sending out a shockwave. Jax screamed as he absorbed the energy, the flames entering him. Once he was finished, he began to breathe heavily, looking around and saw the bomb still left a decently sized crater. But more importantly, Norway had been saved.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

"Well, I'm really glad you were the one calling the shots." Ray commented to Snart as the group walked to the bridge, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I had it under control until the professor started picking fights with the PLO." Snart countered.

"You let your ego endanger our entire mission." Carter added angrily as they walked into the bridge, furious that they didn't capture Savage and put and an end to that monster.

"No, Mr. Rory's temper got completely out of control-" Stein defended.

"I thought we were friends, professor." Mick held his hands up.

"At least there's one less nuclear bomb on the planet." Kendra chimed in.

"Are we auditioning for a drama series?" Troy piped, the tendril with Chaos' face flowing from his shoulder.

Rip was leaning on the metallic doorway leading into his study, clapping sarcastically. "Here, here. Now you all deserve a hearty congratulations." Troy rolled his eyes. "Not only did you fail to capture Savage, you exposed yourselves and your powers to him, giving away the element of surprise for now and all time. Well done team."

"We don't need the element of surprise." Troy said firmly.

"He's right." Carter agreed. "We know he's in Norway, so let's find him-"

"Unfortunately, we now have larger problems than Savage." Rip countered as he walked toward the central console, slamming his hands on it in frustration. "If only you'd have listened to me about the dangers of upsetting the timeline."

"What are you talking about?" Kendra demanded.

"While you were busy saving Norway from nuclear annihilation-" Rip started.

"You're welcome, Norway." Mick growled.

"Savage sent one of his cronies back to the site of the arms sale. Anyone care to guess what he found?" Rip finished.

An unsettling atmosphere fell upon the lot as they exchanged glances. Ray examined his suit, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that the piece which fires the hard light beams was missing on his right gauntleted forearm. "Whoops."

Gideon appeared in the central console. _"I am unversed in modern American colloquialisms. Is whoops slang for oh-"_

"Yes, Dr. Palmer seems to have thrown a spanner in the works for the entire timeline." Rip said.

"**What?" **Chaos quizzed, baffled.

"Come again?" Snart requested, just as baffled as the Kylntar.

"Armed with Dr. Palmer's future technology, Savage's engineers develop a weapon far more destructive than anything here in nineteen seventy five. This," Rip brought up a holographic image of destroyed buildings, fires consuming them, "is Central City in twenty sixteen. At least it was. I'm not sure what the neo-fascists who took control of it are calling it these days."

Jax closed his eyes and hung his head low, a surge of pain at seeing his home city in flames. Stein was feeling the same way, stepping onto the small platform containing the central console. "There must be a way to correct this somehow."

"Fortunately, Gideon is just showing us a forecast of the future you've all created." Rip began as he approached the console. "Time is like cement. It takes time to become permanent. In this case, until Savage's team have worked out the mystery of your future technology and molded it to their own ends. And when they do, what you see here is no longer just a forecast." Rip took a second to sigh. "This is history." And there will be no way to reverse it.

Later, Carter was looking at Aldus' jacket, a pang of grief hitting him like a rock. Noticing something was in a pocket, Carter took it out, revealing it to be a cut out piece of a newspaper of a sort.

"Where is he?" Kendra asked, earning Carter's attention. "His body, I mean."

"There's cryo-storage in the medbay." Carter answered. "I promise we'll get our son a proper burial once we have a chance."

"It's still so weird to hear you call him that." Kendra commented, before stepping forward. "But even though it was in a past life, it feels like something's missing." She just couldn't figure out what though.

"I know." Carter nodded in agreement.

Kendra the piece of paper Carter was holding. "What's that?" She pointed to it.

Carter handed it to her. "I found it in his pocket."

The headline was titled _Antiquities Sold to Private Collector_, and the picture was a hauntingly familiar knife. "I've seen this knife before." Kendra said, then it hit her like a brick. "This is the knife that Savage used to kill us. In our first life." Carterlooked at her, knowing they just found the key to bringing down Savage.

In the bridge…

"So thanks to Raymond leaving a piece of his suit in the past, the rest of us don't have a future to go back to?" Snart stated.

"Unless we do something to change something to change this course of events, the future will become immutable." Rip explained, sitting next to Ray.

"How long do we have?" Troy asked, standing with Sara and Jax, while the tendril with Chaos' face still flowed from his shoulder.

"Until Savage's weapons team reverse-engineer Dr. Palmer's tech." Rip answered.

"We're talking nineteen seventies terrorists armed with twenty first century weapons." Stein said grimly, aghast by the prospect of it. "And since we don't know where Savage went-"

Ray stood up and faced the older man. "We don't have to find Savage. We just have to find the other piece of my suit. Which shrinks because it's made of an alloy which mimics intra-molecular compression of dwarf star, thus emitting alpha particles."

"So we just need to be able to track them. Fortunately, alpha particles are highly trackable." Stein added, all too familiar with the topic.

"Yet unheard of in the nineteen seventies." Ray said gravely. "It's like we're trapped in the Stone Age."

"I'll have you know that I was researching alpha particles when you were eating crayons." Stein countered.

"So to track that piece of Raymond's super-suit, we just need to talk to…" Snart put two and two together.

"Me." Stein supplied. "Twenty five year old me, rather." He finished as Kendra and Carter walked into the bridge from the study.

"You two are just in time." Rip told them.

"Show them, Kendra." Carter said simply.

Kendra held out the article to Rip. "Aldus was carrying this when he was killed." The captain took the article and read it over. "It's a newspaper article about an Egyptian dagger."

"The one Savage used to kill us." Carter added.

"In Central City, we learned that objects associated with the night of our deaths can also be used to kill Savage." Kendra pressed on.

Troy couldn't help but remark, "So you could kill Savage with a vase if said vase was there that night?"

Carter ignored Troy's remark. "According to Aldus' notes, the dagger needs to be wielded in conjunction with an incantation inscribed on it."

"What does this incantation say?" Stein inquired.

Kendra was silent for a few moments. "I don't know. I can't read the language."

"**Isn't that convenient?" **Chaos quipped sarcastically.

Rip also seemed to be disappointed by this revelation. "It's okay. I'll help you remember." Carter soothed before he and Kendra departed from the bridge.

"Splendid. Now, as for the dagger…" Rip changed the topic, looking at the article in his hand.

"You need someone to steal it." Ray pointed out.

"Okay, fine." Snart took the article from Rip's hand. "Whatever. I'll do it." He examined the paper. "Article says it was purchased by some rich Russian douche bag named Sasha Mahnovski." He walked off.

"I'll go with you." Ray insisted.

"I already got a partner." Snart snarked.

"Who I trust even less than you." Ray shot back, earning a glare from Mick before the arsonist followed Snart out.

"Look, you're more than welcome to go with them. Just don't take along any of your future tech." Rip advised. Ray nodded before following after Snart and Mick. The captain then noticed Stein walking out toward the opposite door. "Oy! Where do you think you're going?"

"To break into my old lab and bring us back the particle tracker." Stein answered.

Rip knew he wouldn't be able to talk the professor out of this. "Fine, but perhaps, you should take Jefferson, Sara, and Troy with you to act as your intermediaries." He leaned forward on the central console. "Look, interacting with yourself in the past can have catastrophic effects upon the future."

"Fascinating." Stein said as if that wasn't anything to be concerned about. "Let's go." He took his leave, Sara, Troy, and Jax following him out as the Chaos tendril slithered back into his host.

"_Setting a course of the United States, Captain." _Gideon announced as Rip shot Stein an annoyed expression.

* * *

_**Ivy Town University**_

_**1975**_

"People actually wore this crap?" Jax asked as he, Troy, Stein, and Sara walked down the parking lot, observing the campus that was thriving with activity.

"People smoked a lot of pot in the seventies." Stein stated. "It clearly had a deleterious effect on the fashion of the era."

"_**This entire place reeks of pot." **_Chaos hissed, not liking the smell of it.

"_Hopefully we won't be here too long." _Troy assuaged the symbiote.

"Let's just hurry up and get that particle tracker so I can get the hell out of these go-go boots." Sara said, uncomfortable in the mentioned attire. She was wearing a white foam mink, a red blouse, white go-go boots and sunglasses. Troy was wearing a blank black shirt, jeans, a belt, black sneakers, and blue sunglasses. Jax was wearing a blue coat with a spotted shirt underneath.

"Remember, when he meet my former self, it is imperative that we don't let on we're from the future, so let's just be cool." Stein advised as they walked onto the side walk.

"I can do that." Troy quipped.

"_**No you can't." **_Chaos teased, and Troy rolled his eyes.

It didn't take Stein long to spot his younger self, who was wearing a brown coat, a spotted shirt underneath, jeans, and brown sneakers. "Oh, my God." Stein breathed as he watched his younger self hug a girl. "Look." He gasped. "I'd forgotten how handsome I was. My hair, it's so thick and silky."

Younger Stein, or Marty, as he went by, noticed Stein looking at him and came over, unaware that he would be speaking to his future self. "Do I know you?"

Stein stared at him for a few seconds. "No. No." He lied. "I'm Professor Musk. Elon Musk."

"Mm." Marty hummed.

"And these are my three lab assistants." Stein gestured to Sara, Jax, and Troy. Jax merely smiled, Sara held up her index and middle fingers for a peace sign, and Troy nodded his head upward.

"Hi." Marty said to the three before his eyes landed on Sara. "I'm Marty." He looked at Stein. "Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"Uh, that's a very interesting question. Um, suffice it to say, I am familiar with your work." Stein replied.

"That's actually why we're here. To see you." Jax explained.

"It is our understanding that you're a leading expert on alpha particles." Troy stated.

Marty chuckled. "No, I'm _the _leading expert."

Sara flashed him a smile. "Well, we were hoping to pick your brain about your area of expertise." She said in a sexy, flirtatious tone.

"Physics?" Marty inquired, and Sara hummed in answer. "Which are you interested in? Applied or theatrical?"

Sara shot Jax and Troy smiles before looking at Marty. "That is just the thing. I can't decide. I love them both." She said in that same sexy tone.

"_**I like her." **_Chaos chuckled.

"_That's a shocker. I mean, it's not like you haven't said that before." _Troy mumbled.

"_**You like her too, and not just as a friend." **_Chaos retorted, voice dripping with amusement.

"_Don't even go there." _The host warned.

Chaos merely chuckled. After spending four years with his host, Troy doesn't have button that the symbiote didn't know how to push. _**"Do I need to remind you of the dream you had that one night? Where you and Sara-"**_

"_Finish that sentence, and there will be no Big Belly Burger or pizza for a month when we get back." _Troy cut him off, hating the fact that Kylntars have the ability to memorize every detail of their host's dreams. Troy had lost track of many times Chaos had teased him about dreams. But fortunately for Troy, Chaos has developed a likeness for burgers, French fries, and pizza, and he had more than occasionally used that as a weakness.

"_**You wouldn't dare!" **_Chaos shouted angrily and worriedly.

"_Try me." _Troy dared, and Chaos remained silent. _"That's what I thought."_

"Cool." The sound of Marty's voice ended the… conversation between Troy and Chaos. Stein look a bit disturbed by Sara flirting with his younger self. "Well, let's go spark a doobie and rap physics."

"Lead the way, Marty." Sara gave the go ahead. Marty smiled and gestured to the path ahead with his head. He began to walk forward, Sara following after him. She gave, Jax, Troy, and Stein a smile.

Jax was very amused by what had just happened, and he placed a hand on Stein's shoulder. "Uh, are you sure that's actually you?" Stein's face was marred with annoyance. He glanced at Jax and walked away, causing Jax and Troy to laugh. "Oh man."

"This oughta be interesting." Troy laughed as he and Jax walked after the professor.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Kendra and Carter were standing at the central console, the screen displaying the knife from three different views, while displaying the incantation. So far, Kendra has had no luck at attempting to decipher.

"Concentrate, Kendra. You know how to read the inscription. At least, you used to." Carter said as he paced around the console.

"Yeah, well, my hieroglyphic is a little rusty." Kendra quipped in annoyance, her patience wearing thin.

"_Lapidary hieratic, actually." _Gideon corrected. Kendra's eyes drifted up to the ceiling, her annoyance increasing. _"An ancient language lost to the ages." _

"Don't you know how to read it?" Kendra asked Carter.

"It was a language known only to the clergy." He explained calmly.

"_If only we had a Rosetta Stone, I might be able to-"_

"Well, you are our Rosetta Stone." Carter cut Gideon off, pointing at Kendra as he approached her while an idea came to mind. "Just close your eyes." Kendra turned to him, her patience on the verge of depletion. "Think of it as mediation. I need you to relax and open your mind." Deciding to humor him, Kendra closed her eyes. "In order for you to remember how to kill Savage, I need you to let your mind float back through your hundreds of previous lives." He continued as he moved behind her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "Your name is Chay-Ara, and you are a priestess in the temple of Horus."

Suddenly, Kendra had a flashback. She and Carter were in her bedchamber, both of them naked and bodies pressed against each other.

Kendra gasped and moved away from Carter. "What? What is it?" He asked.

"Us." Kendra replied. "We were together. Like, together-together." She couldn't quite get that image out of her head.

"Well," Carter began as he moved in to kiss her, "I have been telling you that you and I should be destined-"

"What are you doing?" Kendra demanded, pushing him away.

"What part of 'destiny' do you not understand?" Carter asked with a smile.

"The part where I have to stop thinking for myself." Kendra snapped before storming out of the bridge.

Carter stayed where he was. He knew he screwed up, and that Kendra needed time to herself. But she needs to be able to decipher the incantation if they wish to defeat the one who has been hunting and tormenting them for the past four thousand years.

* * *

_**Weapons Lab**_

Rain relentlessly poured down from the high night sky. A black van drove into an abandoned complex, the automated gates opening for the vehicle. Minutes later, Savage and his associate walked the halls toward the lab, discussing recent events and their latest acquisition. "The group that disrupted the arms auction. Any idea who they were?" The associate asked his superior.

"A man in a robotic suit, a man who can transform into a beast, weapons that shoot ice and fire. Suffice it to say, they're not from around here. I would assume the future." Savage explained. It was the only explanation.

"That's impossible." The man said.

"So is immortality." Savage retorted as they walked into the lab, where four scientists were working, one of them on Ray's piece of his super suit. And there were two armed guards. "Besides, how else do you explain technology beyond anything we have seen?" The immortal continued before approaching the engineer inspecting their newly acquired asset with a magnifying glass, and said asset was resting on a small silver stand. "What can you tell me about it?"

"It contains a miniaturized missile guidance system capable of delivering high explosive ordnance." The engineer replied. It was beyond anything he had ever seen.

"You have twenty four hours to reverse engineer it." Savage ordered. With technology from the future, he can accelerate his plans for world domination.

As Savage began to walk away, the engineer said, "It could take weeks, months to figure out the circuitry."

Savage turned to face him. The immortal flashed the man a nasty grin before removing the piece off its stand. "It looks simple enough to me. You just press this button here." He did just that, and fired a hard light beam. The man was sent flying off the stool he was sitting on and violently crashed into a metallic shelf. Savage grinned nastily again, pleased by the results as the other scientists stared in shock. "I said twenty four hours." Savage repeated, showing the piece to the others before handing it to another. "I suggest you all get to work." He walked out, his associate following him. There will be deadly consequences if they fail the task Savage has assigned them to.

* * *

_**Mahnovski Mansion**_

Ray, Snart, and Mick were hidden within the bushes in front of the mansion. They had been casing the joint for a while. It's what Snart was good at. He was notorious for it in the present, spending months learning of the security systems and patrol guard patterns before making his move.

"I'm seeing motion detectors on the ground floor. Hardware on the doors looks standard issue." Snart observed.

"I can't see any smoke alarms." Mick pointed out.

"Just stay close. I saw at least two armed guards on the perimeter." Snart advised.

"Right, boss." Mick conceded. Suddenly, Ray stood up and walked out of their hiding spot. "What the hell are-"

"I recognize the security system." Ray quickly said as he walked over to the security box. "My parents had the exact one." He opened the hatch and flipped the console, revealing the interior wiring. "I'll have the access code cracked and security disabled before you could say 'breaking and entering'." He continued as he disabled the security system. "There, we're in."

However, Snart and Mick didn't look so pleased. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Mick said.

"Why's that?" Ray asked, confused.

"Because you just tapped into a dummy box, which means those guards are gonna be here-" Snart explained.

"Quicker than you can say 'rookie mistake'." Mick added as two armed guards approached the criminal duo from behind.

"Hands up." One of them ordered, and Snart and Mick did just that.

But the two criminals quickly reached out, grabbing their guns and punched them hard across the face, knocking them down. Mick turned to look at Ray. "Ha." Ray's eyebrows shot up briefly.

* * *

_**Ivy Town University **_

Sara, Troy, Jax, Stein, and Marty were sitting around a small table containg an orange glowing sphere, and a pot tray with cigarettes. Sara and Troy were sitting on the couch to Marty's left, while Jax and Stein were on the couch to Marty's left.

"So, who wants a hit?" Marty asked them.

"_**I will never understand why humans like doing this." **_Chaos grumbled.

"Yeah, man-" Jax said as he reached for the cigarette, but Stein grabbed it first.

"I believe you told me you were trying to quit." The oldest of the group reminded.

"Oh, none for you, silver top?" Marty asked, amused.

"I…" Stein began, but Sara picked the cigarette from his fingers. She shot him a smile, causing Troy to chuckle. "I don't partake in cannabis." Jax, Sara, and Troy shot him looks. "Anymore, that is. In fact, perhaps you should take it easy."

Marty didn't quite agree. "Ah, it helps me think better." He gestured with his hands for emphasis. "Dad." Stein chuckled in annoyance.

"Yes, but what about the long term health consequences?" Stein asked as Marty reached into a bag of chips. "Speaking of which, you might want to lay off saturated fats." Marty just looked at him. Stein suddenly found the need to change the topic, and grabbed a paper off the table. "So, uh… alpha particles, oof. Exciting stuff. Too bad detection is at least a decade way." He hoped to steer this conversation in the direction he wanted.

"Mm, more like two decades." Marty countered. "But I've worked up a little something. Science is all about the future, right? I've developed a prototype particle tracker. Cutting edge. Probably gonna make me a million dollars."

"_**Does he ever stop talking?" **_Chaos muttered.

"_He's blabbering so much." _Troy added, though he was a bit amused that this was the younger version of Stein. Very different personalities.

"Wow. A whole million." Sara said in a feigned astonished tone.

"Mm, be right back. I think I've some chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge." Marty said as he stood up, patting Stein on the shoulder before walking out, giggling.

Stein waited until Marty left the room before getting on his feet and stormed over to the lab, Sara, Jax, and Troy following him. "I cannot believe that that is you." Sara remarked, amused, and Troy laughed.

"Seriously, I had no idea you were ever cool." Jax added.

"I wasn't cool." Stein countered, looking through the drawrs. "I was an arrogant little snot."

"Was?" Jax repeated.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Looking for my younger self's particle tracker." Stein answered as he continued searching, then turned his attention to his companions. "Keep an eye on the door, and when I get back, stop flirting with me." He said the last part to Sara.

"You were the one flirting with me." She retorted.

"What's the big deal? I mean, younger you isn't married yet, so technically it's not cheating." Jax stated.

Stein turned to face them once again. "October nineteen seventy five. This is right when I meet my future wife, Clarissa. So obviously, we wouldn't want my former self tempted by a sexy assassin from the future."

"Aaw," Sara cooed with a wide smile, "you think I'm sex-"

"Do not finish that sentence." Stein cut her off.

* * *

_**Mahnovski Mansion **_

Ray, Snart, and Mick entered a room with six brown wooden pedestals. Each pedestal held an ancient antique, which were encased in glass. "Found it." Ray said as soon as he spotted the dagger they came for, walking over to the pedestal which contained the object they came for. He leaned toward the glass. "Is there a trick to opening the case?" He asked Snart.

The wielder of the cold gun replied by smashing the glass with his gloved hand. Mick took it further and smashed three other glasses. "Ah." The arsonist preened as he inspected a medieval helmet.

Ray was shocked by what Mick had done. "What are you doing? Let's grab the dagger and let's go."

"Raymond, you don't break into a candy store and steal one gumball." Snart said.

"You guys grab the goodies. I'll find the safe." Mick said before walking off to do just that.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ray demanded as Snart walked toward the helmet. "This is what we came for." He gestured to the dagger.

"No, it's what you came here for." Snart replied as he moved to touch the helmet, but Ray grabbed his arm. "Take your hand off me."

"I'm not gonna let you jeopardize another mission." Ray said sternly.

Snart rolled his eyes. "I'm done asking politely." He wrenched his arm free and struck Ray across the face, and his head whipped to the side. "This is my mission." Snart finished, pointing at Ray, blood dripping out of the left corner of his mouth.

"And I'm gonna listen to a guy who spent half of his life in prison?" Ray retorted before striking Snart.

Snart's arm collided with the helmet, knocking it off its pedestal, loudly clattering to the floor. Instantly, a loud alarm blared, and a large metal cage came down from the ceiling, trapping them with the pedestals. Snart expected something like this. A security system designed to go off when any of the objects were removed from the pedestals. "Great. Now we're both going to prison." He remarked dryly.

* * *

_**Ivy Town University**_

Stein removed a bundle of cash off a patted metal box and opened it, revealing what was stored inside. The alpha particle tracker. "Eureka." Stein whispered as he took it out of the box. "I remember building this. It's… it's like déjà vu all over again."

However, Marty came into the room and spotted Stein with his invention. "Put that down." He demanded.

"Excellent job watching the door." Stein said sarcastically to Sara, Jax, and Troy, particularly the latter, since he is well aware of Chaos' abilities.

_**"Whoops."** _Chaos snickered, and Troy mentally scowled at his other, not finding it funny.

"What are you doing?" Marty demanded as he walked up to Stein.

"Oh, just, uh… what is this?" Stein asked, although he already knew.

"Something you shouldn't be fooling around with." Marty answered sharply as he took the tracker.

"It's very interesting looking." Stein commented.

Marty suddenly became weary of these four. "How about you cut the crap?"

Stein was confused. "To which crap are you referring to?"

"I hold two PhDs," Marty then began to walk over to his desk, the others following him, "and I'm working on a third. I'm a five time winner of the Carlin Award." He walked behind the desk, placing the tracker on it. "My point being, is I don't believe those three kids you're hanging around with can even spell physics."

"P-h-y-s-i-c-s." Troy quipped, though he felt a little surge of anger from subtly being called dumb.

Jax also felt insulted. "You know, I'm beginning to like the younger Gray less and less."

Marty picked up the phone on the desk. "Either you tell me what the hell is going on, or I'm calling campus police." He threatened.

Stein quickly put his hands up, an explanation gracing his tongue. "I'm not supposed to tell you. It could cause- well, trouble. We're here to interview you for a profile in next month's Wells Journal."

"The Wells only profiles Nobel candidates." Marty said, knowing how the Wells Journal works.

"An exception is being made in light of your obvious brilliance." Stein explained.

"_**This is taking too long, and I want to get out of here." **_Chaos whined.

Troy rolled his eyes and carefully made his move behind Marty. "I know a photograph of this device would make a spectacular cover if we could just borrow it for a few hours." Stein continued before he reached for the tracker.

But Marty jerked it back. "Thanks, but that's two years of my life. I'm not letting you walk away with it." Stein reached for the tracker again, but Marty moved it away again. "Stay back."

Then Marty felt something hit him hard from behind, and fell to the floor unconscious with a thud, revealing Troy who had done the deed. Stein stared and gaped at Troy in shock, but what really shocked the professor is that Troy's hand was encased in Chaos' black flesh, claws included. "That was taking way too long." Troy said as Chaos' flesh receded back into the host.

Stein pointed to the unconscious Marty. "You just knocked me out." He said, and Troy nodded casually. "That beautiful brain, struck unconscious." He stressed the last word.

"The only way to shut you up." Jax commented with an amused smile.

Stein glanced at the unconscious Marty before grabbing the alarm off the desk and twisted its knob. "What are you doing? We need to go." Sara said.

"I have to make sure I wake up in time to go to this faculty mixer tonight." Stein replied. "One of the professors is bringing his niece," he set the alarm clock down next to Marty, "AKA my future wife. Let's go." Having gotten what they came for, the group departed, but not before Sara snatched a few of the pot laced cigarettes.

* * *

_**Mahnovski Mansion**_

Having heard the alarm, Mick walked down the stairs to see Snart and Ray imprisoned in a metal cage. "What the hell happened?"

"It was this idiot's fault/Your partner's fault." Snart and Ray placed the blame on each other, though the former knew that Mick would believe him over this former billionaire.

"I told you we shouldn't have brought him." Mick reminded.

"Agreed," Snart said as he took off his gloves, "but we got bigger problems. I need you to find the fuse box-"

"And trigger a system default." Mick finished, then pointed at Ray. "This ain't over." Ray shot him an unreadable expression before walking off to find the fuse box.

Snart began to tap on the wooden pedestals. Hollow. He tapped another one. Hollow. He tapped a third one. Solid. Snart moved his fingers around the top crevices and felt a latch. He pulled on it, revealing a security system hidden within as he placed the wooden panel aside while pulling out a tool. "How did you know how to do that?" Ray asked.

"When I was a kid, my brought me along on jobs." Snart began, remembering those memories all too well. "I had little hands. I could get into tiny spaces, do whatever he needed me to do, like… rewiring a security system."

"In another life, you could've been an electrical engineer." Ray remarked as he sat down, his back against one of the pedestals.

"Guess I dodged a bullet." Snart remarked as he continued to work. "You think I want to be like you?"

Ray scowled. "You make being a tech billionaire sound like a bad thing."

"You spend all your time and money inventing a super suit," Snart began before he looked at Ray, "and what do you do with it? Fly around like some incredible shrinking schmuck trying to save the world." He went back to working on rewiring.

"Robbing banks for a living, I suppose that's more important?" Ray inquired.

"It's sure as hell more satisfying." Snart answered.

"Thinking like that is what makes you a criminal." Ray commented.

"No, it makes me a survivor." Snart retorted, looking at Ray once more. "And there's gonna come a day when you wish you were too." Having nothing more to say, Snart went back to work.

However, Snart pulled away from the system, unable to rewire it. Ray decided to help and came over. "Here." He said, holding his hand out. Deciding to humor him, Snart gave Ray the tool. "You flip the solenoid, saves you the trouble of rewiring it." He added as he did as he said.

Snart actually considered Ray's talent. "I take it back, Raymond. You're not completely useless after all." He took back the tool.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Carter was in Rip's study, staring at the screen displaying the dagger that Ray, Snart, and Mick, or rather, Ray, went to retrieve. He turned around and saw Kendra standing in front the table between them, arms over her chest. "I wanted to apologize. I'm not afraid of my past. I'm just… unwilling to believe that you're my future." She walked around the table. "And the more you keep repeating that we're destined to be together, the more I want to prove you wrong. And maybe that makes me childish, and I'm-"

"No." Carter assured her, waving his arm. "It doesn't." He contemplate a lot since their little… deciphering session earlier. "Not at all." He started as he walked over to her. "Look, four thousand years is a long time, and maybe I've been taking us for granted, expecting you to fall in love with me because that's what you've done the last two hundred six lifetimes, but you're right. Does not make us destiny."

"More like… probability." Kendra said.

Carter smiled, casting his head downward before meeting Kendra's gaze. "Look, Kendra. You don't have to love me in this lifetime. As many lifetimes as it takes. I know you're worth the wait."

An air settled upon them as they studied each other briefly. "All right," Carter started, "well, uh, let's try this again." He walked away and turned around again. "You know what to do." Kendra nodded and closed her eyes, exhaling deeply and relaxed. "Your name is Chay-Ara, and you're a priestess in the temple of Horus."

_Prince Khufu and Chay-Ara were in the priestess's bedchamber, the prince approaching her with a knife in hand, as a gift. "You're giving me a knife… as a present?" Chay-Ara asked with a smile. "Your conceptions of romance require some adjustment, I think._

_Khufu smiled as well. "It's sacred. I was told that only a high priestess could read the inscription. It's a-"_

"_A poem." Chay-Ara finished, seeing the incantation on the blade. 'And though my soul departs the Earth, I count the days till my rebirth. I will wait across eternity for my love to come back to me." She recited._

_Chay-Ara and Khufu smiled before the former placed the dagger on the night stand before Chay-Ara took Khufu's face in her hands and their lips met in a kiss before they fell onto the bed._

Kendra gasped as she returned to reality. "The knife." Her eyes met Carter's. "You gave it to me, and the inscription, it was a poem, a love poem which promises…"

"Promises what?" Carter asked.

"That we'd be together forever." Kendra answered. Carter smiled at her, as a comfortable silence fell upon them.

* * *

_**Weapons Lab**_

The tracker had led Sara, Jax, Troy, and Stein to a seemingly abandoned complex. But once they made their way inside, it was anything but abandoned. "Perhaps I really am a genius. My younger self's tracker led us straight to Savage's lab." Stein remarked from the rafters above the lab. "Reading's at ninety six point six percent. It's definitely down there."

"Be right back." Sara said as she prepared to jump down. She was in her White Canary outfit, more than relieved to be out of those go-go boots.

But Jax stopped her. "Whoa, whoa, wait, wait. Shouldn't we handle this?" Sara just looked at him. "I mean, you're pretty stoned."

"Like that's gonna stop her." Troy commented.

"Yeah, I could be unconscious and still be able to kick the ass of a few rent a thugs from nineteen seventy five." Sara said before jumping down.

She landed on a table, batons out at the ready. One of the thugs charged forward, but Sara's leg shot up, hitting him in the face, knocking him to the floor. Another thug raised his gun up, but didn't get to pull the trigger when Sara's left baton collided with his rifle before hitting him with her other baton at the stomach. She swung her other baton and swept another thug off his feet. She swung again, hitting the second thug in the face yet again. Sara stood above them triumphantly, a matching smirk on her face.

"I do see why I found her so attractive." Stein said.

"_**Those pathetic excuses for thugs never stood a chance." **_Chaos chuckled.

Sara walked over to the desk and took Ray's piece of his suit off its pedestal. "Looking for this."

"Yeah." Jax agreed with Stein while Troy smirked.

"And y'all have a lovely evening." Sara said casually as she walked out

* * *

_**Mahnovski Mansion**_

Snart and Ray were still working on lifting the security system when the alarm light dimmed out suddenly, and the sound of a fuse blowing could be heard. "Huh. Looks like Rory found the fuse box."

"We got a slight problem." Mick's voice called out, causing Snart and Ray to jump to their feet. "The owner just came home. You're not gonna believe who it is." The arsonist added as he came in, blood dripping from his forehead while being held at a pressure point and gunpoint by Vandal Savage.

"We meet again." The immortal said in sinister glee. "Oh, I'm grateful for another opportunity to kill you." Savage added as Snart and Ray glared at him.

Mick struggled a bit, but Savage yanked him roughly. "Stop struggling. I've had four thousand years of training in every hold and pressure point known." He turned his gaze to those trapped in the cage. "But you already know that, don't you? That I'm immortal." He grinned arrogantly and madly.

Snart gripped the bars. "I'm gonna kill you anyway. That's a promise." He snarled.

"Oh, what have I done to deserve such enmity?" Savage asked, then realized it was the wrong choice of words. "No, let me rephrase that. What have I done to you?" Snart did not answer. "Perhaps you have targeted me for something I've yet to do. You traveled here from some point in the future."

"Catches on fast, this guy." Ray noted.

"Visitors from another time." Savage grinned madly again. The immortal then kneed Mick in the stomach before clonking the arsonist in the head with the handgrip of his revolver. Mick fell to the floor with a pained groan as Savage pointed his gun at Snart and Ray.

"You won't be so happy when the rest of the team shows up and knocks that smug grin off your face." Ray sneered.

"Oh," Savage said as he lowered his gun, an idea coming to mind, "why wait?" He stepped over Mick and reached down to pick up the earpiece that fell out of the arsonist's ear, inspecting it in his fingers. "A communications device of some sort, I imagine." He tossed the earpiece through the cage bars and Ray caught it. Savage raised his weapon again. "Please, contact your friends. I'm looking forward to seeing at least two of them again." More specifically, _her_.

* * *

_**Ivy Town University **_

_**The Waverider**_

Sara, Jax, Troy, and Stein walked toward where the invisible Waverider was parked, the cargo bay door opening. "I've never saved the world before. It feels good." Sara said as they walked into the cargo bay.

"We should've picked up some donuts on the way back." Jax piped, feeling hungry.

"Donuts at this time of night?" Troy asked incredulously. "Naw, we should've gotten some burgers and french fries." Chaos grunted in agreement.

However, Stein became alarmed when he felt his wedding ring slowly vanished. "Oh, my God." The ring then vanished. "My ring. When you knocked me out, I must not have woken up, or did and decided not to go the mixer." Sara, Jax, and Troy exchanged glances. "Clarissa."

"Holy crap." Stein whipped his head back to the cargo bay entrance and, to his alarm, saw Marty walking into the ship. "Now, do you want to tell me who you are and where you're from?"

Stein stared at his younger self while Sara, Jax, and Troy exchanged glances. Rip will be furious over this.

Minutes later…

"Un-believable!" Marty exclaimed as he walked into the bridge, Sara, Jax, Troy, and Stein following him. "Is that a tachyon manifold?"

"How the hell did you find us?" Troy demanded.

Marty turned to face the host. "You think I couldn't build something to track my own tracker?"

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Stein demanded angrily, thinking of Clarissa.

Marty spun around. "What I've done? You guys knocked me out."

"Which we wouldn't have had to do in the first place if you weren't such a monumental jerk!" Stein exploded.

Jax came over before the situation could escalate. "Okay, uh, cam I just- yeah." He pulled Stein away toward Rip's study.

"Sara, Troy, watch him." Stein said to the two as they as walked toward the study.

"Yo, you need to calm down and stop yelling at yourself." Jax assuaged while they entered the study room.

"His arrogant curiosity-" Stein seethed.

"Yeah. He's curious and too smart for his own good," Jax agreed as Stein placed the tracker down on the table, "but I'm sure you can relate. You're just pissed you didn't see it coming sooner, and-"

"That's not it." Stein interrupted. "Although you are correct in observing my ire is self-directed. It's a rude awakening when one realizes that despite decades of what one thought was maturation and experience, you haven't really changed at all." Jax just listened to Stein as he spoke, although the former believed that the latter was being hard on himself. "That same arrogance I derided in my younger self was on full display at the weapons bazaar. Over sixty years on this planet and I have learned nothing."

"I think you're being a little too hard on yourself. Which makes a nice change from you always being hard on me but yeah, you're arrogant." Jax said, and Stein shot him a look. "But you're also smart, and kind, and selfless. I mean, you want to make the world a better place and you're willing to risk everything to make that happen" He looked to the bridge, pointing at Marty, who was still roaming the bridge with astonished wide eyes as Sara and Troy watched him. "That? That is not a bad guy." He looked at Stein again. "And neither is this one."

Stein nodded slightly, conceding with Jax's words. "Meeting Clarissa was one of the great moments of my life, and meeting you was another." Jax nodded in appreciation. "You are a fine young man, Mr. Jackson."

Jax smiled before patting Stein on the shoulder. "Come on." He gestured to the bridge.

Sara and Troy had their arms across their chests in annoyance as they watched Marty paced back and forth. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"You didn't say anything to him?" Stein asked Sara and Troy.

"I figured we screwed up the seventies enough." Sara replied, and Troy shot her a look.

Marty became even more baffled, a thought striking him. "Hey, w-what are you talking about?" His eyes locked with Stein's. "A-are you saying you're from-"

"Don't say another word. Don't even think it." Stein cut him off before handing him the tracker. "You are to get off this ship, post haste."

"Oh, wonderful." Rip quipped sarcastically as he entered the bridge, seeing Marty. "Another unauthorized passenger. That worked out so splendidly last time."

"It's all right. He was just leaving." Stein assured the captain.

"I'll show you out." Jax said.

"_**Finally! I couldn't take anymore of Stein's younger self!" **_Chaos shouted in relief.

"_You're not the only one." _Troy agreed. He likes the older Stein more.

"So, have we met before?" Marty asked Stein.

"In a manner of speaking." Stein answered truthfully. "Ha- have a wonderful life, Martin. I mean that sincerely." Although his life will be a lot more empty without Clarissa.

Marty just stared at Stein, but then Sara nudged him forward. Marty and Stein gazed at each other a bit more before Jax walked Marty out. "I'm not even going to ask." Rip said as the tendril with Chaos' face formed out of Troy's shoulder.

"_Captain Hunter, we're getting an incoming communique." _Gideon announced. _"Mr. Snart on Mr. Rory's comm unit."_

"That's never a good thing." Troy said grimly.

"On speaker." Rip ordered.

"_I'll make this short. The owner of the mansion we burgled is Vandal Savage. He's really interested in meeting you guys, especially our feathered friends." _Snart said through the console as Kendra and Carter came into the bridge.

"They have the dagger." Rip said.

"And Savage has them." Sara added gravely.

"Doesn't matter." Carter said as he approached Rip. "Just get me close enough, and I'll do what needs to be done."

"_I have the coordinates." _Gideon informed.

Rip looked at his team. They had what they need to end Savage once and for all. "Let's do this."

"**Time for the immortal to die." **Chaos sneered.

* * *

_**Savage's Mansion**_

Savage was becoming dangerously impatient, which is funny since if there's one thing four thousand years of life has taught him one thing, its patience. "Your friends are cowards." He sneered.

"They'll be here." Ray assured him.

Savage wasn't convinced, so he knelt down and pressed the barrel of his revolver against Mick's head. "They're taking too long. They need an incentive-"

He was about to pull the trigger, but a wave of fire forced him back on his feet. Snart and Ray whirled around and their eyes beheld Firestorm standing on the wooden railing the floor above them. "Oh. The burning man." Savage mocked, not at all fazed.

"I don't just burn, pal." Jax sneered before snapping both his arms out, unleashing another blast of fire, sending Savage crashing out the door and into a wall outside. "I blast things too." He added as he landed on the floor. "You okay?" He asked Mick.

"I'm pissed." The arsonist growled.

Jax turned around and said to Snart and Ray, "Stand back." He unleashed another wave of fire.

Outside…

"It's all good. Savage is down." Jax assured as he, Snart, Mick, and Ray approached Sara, Kendra, Rip, Troy, and Carter.

"Savage is not defeated by earthly means." Carter countered.

"Well, I hit him with a nuclear blast, so, you know, not that earthly." Jax retorted with a smirk.

Snart held out the dagger, and Carter took it by the hilt. "Go get that son of a bitch." The cold gun wielder growled.

Carter's eyes locked with Kendra's. "Are you ready to end this?" He asked her.

She nodded. "We've only been waiting four thousand years." With nothing more to say, the two took flight, aiming to end the one who has been tormenting them for ages.

"We got company." Mick pointed out.

Everyone turned their attention to where the arsonist was looking. "Friends of Savage." Rip said before pulling out a miniaturized Atom suit. "You'll be needing this." He said to Ray. The latter reached for it, but Rip pulled it back. "Don't leave any pieces of it behind this time." Ray nodded and took his suit while Troy allowed Chaos to take over.

Savage slowly stood up, and he heard two sets of footsteps approaching. He turned his gaze to that direction and his eyes beheld Kendra and Carter. _"Hello, my love. I hope you've been well." _The immortal greeted in Egyptian. Carter took out the dagger from behind, and Savage instantly recognized it. "The Aman Dagger. Of all the knives I've collected across the centuries," he lifted up the left side of his coat, revealing the knives he kept under there, "that one is my favorite."

Sickened by this, Carter unleashed a yell and broke off into a sprint, roughly tackling Savage to the floor.

Out front, Firestorm, Snart, Mick, Rip, and Ray provided cover fire, while Sara and Chaos engaged Savage's men in brutal close quarter combat, with Chaos occasionally biting off some of his victim's heads.

Carter was atop of Savage, both of them with their hands on the dagger, one aiming to drive it into the other, one aiming to prevent that. "And though my soul departs the Earth…" Carter recited before stabbing Savage in the stomach and twisted the blade, evoking grunts of pain from Savage, causing the immortal to choke…

But Savage started to cackle and grin, much to Carter's alarm. "Such a beautiful poem. I remember it well." He continued as he slowly removed the dagger from his chest, pushing against Carter's weight. "Though, as you can see, I can make the dagger do its work without it." The dagger was now fully out of Savage…

And the immortal drove the dagger into Carter's chest. "Carter!" Kendra shrieked.

Blood began to drip out of Carter's mouth, and he desperately gasped for air. Savage roared as he stood up, his malice filled eyes boring into Carter's dying eyes. "This was your lover's blade. It must be her hand that wields it." Savage violently wrenched the dagger out of Carter, allowing him to fall down to the floor. Kendra was breathing heavily, her body was trembling as Savage turned to face her. "Something to consider in your next life."

Fueled and blinded by anger at the same time, Kendra charged forward with a yell. But Savage sidestepped her and hit her in the back, knocking her down to the floor, her helmet coming off. Kendra crawled over to Carter and cradled him in her arms. "Carter. It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

"I will wait through eternity." Carter said weakly, feeling the life drain out of him, reciting what he had said the night of their first death.

"Please, just save your strength." Kendra pleaded.

"Come back to me." Carter said before he took this life's final breath, the life leaving his eyes, seeing without seeing, and his body went limp.

"No…" Kendra choked, tears flowing from her eyes. The lifeforce then left Carter's face and passed into Savage, becoming stronger.

Kendra slowly stood up, glaring at Savage, eyes blazing with hatred. "Murderer." She snarled before swinging at Savage. But in her emotional state, her attacks were sloppy. Savage blocked her right hook before bringing up his right arm to block her left swing before striking her across the face, knocking her down to the floor. Kendra quickly leapt back onto her feet and swung again, but Savage grabbed her and slashed the dagger across her bicep before wrapping his free arm around her neck, placing her in a firm headlock.

"I am not a murderer." Savage said. "I'm a force of nature. A servant of fate. I enable destiny." He stabbed Kendra in the abdomen, causing her to gasp loudly in pain. "I love you, Chay-Ara. I always will." He removed the dagger and allowed Kendra to fell down to the floor, clutching her injury. "But we are both tortured by this circle of death we are imprisoned by." He knelt down and gripped the dagger with both hands, a regretful and sorrow expression on his face as he raised the weapon above his head. He never took any pleasure in killing Chay-Ara, and he wants nothing more to have her in his clutches. But his need for immortality will always win out.

But before Savage could finish Kendra, a blue hard light beam struck him in the chest, sending him flying away from Kendra and through a window. Sara, Rip, Firestorm, Atom, Chaos, Snart, and Mick quickly approached them. "Carter." Ray murmured in shock as Rip knelt down to check his pulse while Kendra passed out.

"He's lost. Get Kendra before Savage recovers." Rip ordered as he stood up.

"Come on, we can still kill this bastard." Snart insisted as Atom rushed to Kendra's side.

"Kendra is the only one who can." Rip countered.

"We gotta go. Kendra needs medical attention." Atom said.

And so, the group vacated as more of Savage's men approached the mansion.

"Gideon, get us underway as soon as Firestorm, Atom, and Chaos are onboard." Rip commanded as they entered the cargo bay, Mick carrying Kendra bridle style. "Get her to the medbay now." The arsonist did as he was told.

A soldier was frantically shooting his rifle at the approaching Chaos, who was unfazed by the bullets. The Klyntar opened his maw and brought his jaws down, tearing off the soldier's head. Seeing the rest of his team retreating, Chaos spat out the head and broke into a sprint, entering the cargo bay, as did Firestorm and Atom.

* * *

In the medbay…

"I assure you, Dr. Palmer, there's nothing more you can do for her." Rip said as Ray applied pressure to Kendra's stab wound.

"You can't let her die." Ray said sternly, not taking his eyes off Kendra.

"I don't intend to." Rip assured him as he tapped on the medical screen.

"_Sharp force injury resulting in rupture of several major blood vessels. Her pressure is currently eighty two over thirty and stable. I will begin by irrigating the wound and cauterizing it to prevent any further hemorrhaging." _Gideon informed as a lamp lowered from the ceiling, a blue light skimming over Kendra's body.

Rip sighed in relief. "Thank you, Gideon."

However, Kendra started to stir. "Carter… Carter… Carter."

"Gideon, if you wouldn't mind administering a mild sedative." Rip advised as he came over and gently held Kendra down so she wouldn't be able to injure herself.

"NO! CARTER!" Kendra screamed. "I didn't get to tell him. I didn't get to tell him it came back to me. I finally remembered how I felt about him in our past lives and I didn't to tell him!"

"Shh…" Rip soothed.

"I didn't get to tell him- I felt the same way"

"It's okay."

Kendra whimpered softly before passing out again. Ray couldn't take it anymore and walked out of the medbay, seeing Stein in the corridor. "How is she?" The older man asked.

"Stable, I think." Ray answered, and Stein nodded. "Troy told me about what's happening with your wife. I'm sorry."

"I was so seduced by the prospect of time travel, of adventure, I never stopped to consider the consequences of what we were undertaking." Stein said, furious at himself.

"Gideon has managed to stabilize Ms. Saunders' condition," Rip informed them as he came out of the medbay, "but another time jump could aggravate her injuries."

"So we're stuck in seventy five?" Ray guessed.

"For the time being, yes." Rip confirmed, before looking at Stein. "Given that, can I have a moment of your time, Martin? There's something that I would like to show you."

"Of course." Stein said before following Rip, curious.

* * *

_**Ivy Town University **_

Rip and Stein walked the parking lot, seeing students heading inside for the mixer. "Apparently it's true that the guilty return to the scene of the crime." Stein remarked.

"Oh, don't be so maudlin. Look at your hand." Rip said.

Stein did just that, and to his relief, his wedding ring materialized. "How-"

"I contacted your younger self and encouraged him to attend the faculty mixer." Rip explained. "Turns out one of the professors brought along his niece."

Stein looked ahead and saw Marty and a younger Clarissa, the two of them holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. "You risked the timeline for me." Stein noted happily.

"Hardly seemed fair for you to sacrifice your wife in order to save mine from Savage's future." Rip said as Stein watched Marty and Clarissa kiss. No one should ever have to live with the pain of not having one's spouse. "One thing that time travel teaches you is that time changes, people don't."

Stein turned to face the captain. "A painful realization I've recently come to."

"I have traveled countless ages into the future. We're still asking ourselves the same question: Why are we here? I believe that we're here to learn, Martin. Be glad that you still can." Rip stated.

"Thank you, Mr. Hunter." Stein said gratefully before turning around and watched Marty and Clarissa walk off.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Everyone was gathered in the bridge. Sara and Troy sat next to each other in the jump seats on the right side of the room, Jax was sitting next to Snart. Mick was standing near the central console, whole Ray was standing near the metallic doorway leading into Rip's study. No one had said anything for a while.

It was then Stein and Rip entered the bridge. "How's Kendra." The older man inquired,

"The same." Sara answered and Troy nodded.

"So what now?" Jax asked.

"Now?" Rip said. "Now it's up to you."

"To do what, Rip?" Snart asked. "Last I checked, every time we try to do anything, it all goes to crap."

"Oh, once again I must disagree with you." Rip began as he walked to the captain's seat. "Thanks to Ms. Lance, Dr. Palmer's future technology is no longer in the hands of Vandal Savage's black market weapons designers."

"But it didn't do anything to change the fate of your world." Stein stated.

"No." Rip confirmed. "Vandal Savage will still rise to power in the year twenty one sixty six."

"And your family will still die?" Jax asked as he stood up. Troy cast him a sharp look. Rip doesn't need to hear that out loud.

Rip nodded sadly. "So what you're really asking is, do we want to fish or cut bait?" Snart began. "Return to two thousand sixteen and live out the rest of our lives as insignificant losers or-"

"Make another play at becoming legends." Ray supplied, stepping forward. "Figure out how to end Savage and save the world."

"Preferably, without causing any more nuclear explosions." Stein added.

"Savage has my attention." Mick growled, itching for payback.

Snart stood up. "Look, we didn't know Carter from Adam, but if you take out one of my crew, you better pay the price."

The tendril with Chaos' face formed out of Troy's shoulder. "No one kills my friends and gets away with it." Troy sneered, and Chaos growled in agreement.

"Surely Captain Hunter has a sound plan." Stein said, and Rip nodded in confirmation. The professor then looked at Jax. "What about you?"

"You're asking me?" Jax asked, baffled.

"I didn't give you much of a choice the first time, did I?" Stein reminded

"Well, I say we kick Savage's ass. For Carter." Jax decreed.

"For Carter/**For Carter**." Everyone else said in unison.

"So, Captain. Where are we going next?" Stein asked Rip.

The captain smirked, pleased that everyone has chosen to remain onboard to save the world from Vandal Savage.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading! Please leave a review, and until next time, have an awesome day and stay tuned for more!**


	3. Blood Ties

**Hellooooooooooo everybody! A Chaotic Legend has returned!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only my OCs.**

**To Tyler Thomas and Guest: Yes, I am pairing Sara and Troy.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**Ancient Egypt **_

_**Temple of Horus**_

_**1700 BC**_

_Two guards armed with spears walked down the stone staircase and through the hall, torches placed on side of the chamber illuminated their way. However, they failed to notice a hooded figure following them._

_In a different chamber, Hath-Set dipped his quill in a small puddle of ink and began to write his notes, staff of Horus by his side. Then, the hooded figure silently entered the chamber, stealthily walking down the stone staircase while Hath-Set was occupied with writing. Then the hooded figure drew his knife. But the sound of the blade leaving its sheath alerted Hath-Set, and the priest immediately sprang into action, grabbing the staff of Horus. The assassin swung his knife with the intention of slitting Hath-Set's throat, but the priest evaded, hitting the assassin in the stomach with the staff's end before hitting the hooded figure with top end of the staff, sending the assassin staggering back._

"_Who are you?" Hath-Set demanded, trying to see the assailant's face._

_The assassin twirled the knife in his hand so that the blade was now pointed backwards, before his hands reached up and lowered his hood, revealing the face of Rip Hunter. "The man who's here to kill you." He answered, hatred fuming in his eyes._

* * *

_**Leipzig, Germany**_

_**1975**_

_**The Waverider**_

_**Troy's Quarters**_

Troy was asleep on the bed in the quarters he had taken claim on, catching up on some sleep. He was dreaming of that night, the night he and Chaos first met four years ago…

_Night had fallen upon Starling City, shrouding the city in a blanket of darkness. Troy Winter was driving home to his mansion in his Audi R8 after a get to together with Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance. The_ _car trip back home was about average. Nothing too exciting. That is, until a strange flicker of light in the sky caught Troy's eyes. Pulling over to the side of the empty road leading to his mansion before taking the keys out, Troy watched as the light came closer and closer. When it came close enough, Troy realized it was a meteorite! In fact, it landed not too far. Curiosity overriding his judgement, Troy scurried over to where it crashed. When he approached, he found a small space rock. Troy was astonished. Being able to see a meteorite was very rare. Suddenly, a piece of the rock cracked and splintered off. Another soon joining it until the rock was half open. Troy leaned in to get a better view. A yelp escaped his mouth when a black slime jumped out and latched itself onto Troy. The latter fell back on the ground, unconscious as the strange slime sunk into him._

_Troy awoke with startled gasp, bolting upright as he desperately attempted to remember what had happened. But his heart skipped a beat when he remembered something. He left his car on. And so, Troy leapt back onto his feet and broke off into a sprint. He was more than relieved to see that his car was still there. Wanting to just get home, Troy got into the driver seat, closed the door before putting his seatbelt back on and drove off, unware he was bringing something, or rather, someone, home with him._

_Troy walked into his master bedroom, stopping when his eyes landed on a particular picture frame on the drawer. He walked toward and picked it up. It was a picture of himself when he was four years old, his parents, Felix and Melissa Winter, on either side of him, all three them having wide smiles on their faces. Troy sighed sadly. Just three years after that picture was taken, Felix and Melissa died in a car crash. A drunk driver ran a red light and slammed into the Winter couple's vehicle. Felix and Melissa died upon impact, leaving Troy parentless. But fortunately, he was not to go into the foster system. Robert and Moira Queen, who Felix and Melissa were good friends with, had taken Troy in along with their two other children, Oliver and Thea, who Troy was already good friends with._

_Troy sighed again as he placed the picture back down on the drawer and looked at the mirror that hung on his clothes closet door. He just stared at his reflection blankly, when…_

'_**Troy.' **__A deep, demonic voice said and Troy practically jumped out of his skin._

"_What the fuck?" He breathed as he looked around his bedroom._

_Seeing no one but himself, Troy shrugged, assuming it was nothing. But when he turned his gaze back on the mirror, a shocked gasp escaped his throat. Instead of seeing himself in the mirror, a monstrous beast stared back at him._

"_The fuck?!" Troy shouted as he backed up before bumping into a wall roughly and slid down. "Ow, son of a bitch."_

_Just as Troy was about to stand up, he felt something form out of his shoulder. His eyes went wide with shock when he saw a flowing black tendril with a monstrous face, staring at him with a bone chilling grin._

"_What the fuck are you?" Troy demanded after a few moments of stunned silence, realizing that this is an alien, an ALIEN. _

"_**I am Chaos, and you are mine." **__The creature answered, its grin stretching wider._

"_What do you mean, I'm yours?" Troy demanded._

"_**You will find out soon enough." **__Chaos replied cryptically. __**"Listen carefully, Troy. You did not find us. We found you. Think of yourself as my ride."**_

_Troy raised an eyebrow. "Your ride? What am I, a taxi now?"_

"_**Of a sort. Anywhere you go, I go. In exchange for my residence, you will become stronger, faster, along with many other bonuses." **__Chaos explained._

_Troy's interest was heightened, and he felt his initial fear and shock vanish. "Stronger and faster? I like the sound of that."_

"_**That's not all." **__Chaos pressed on. __**"I can help you make this city a better place. Put those who deserve death in an early grave."**_

_Both of Troy's eyebrows shot up. "Now, how would you know about that?" He asked as the Chaos tendril came closer._

"_**I know everything, Troy." **_

"_Do you, now?"_

"_**Everything about you."**_

"_How so?"_

"_**I'm inside your head."**_

"_You're inside my head? Well, I guess I can say goodbye to privacy." Troy quipped._

"_**So, do we have a deal?" **__Chaos asked, ignoring Troy's quip._

_Troy was silent for a few seconds. "You living inside me isn't gonna kill me or anything like that, will it?"_

"_**No." **__Chaos immediately answered. __**"If you die, I die."**_

_Troy thought about the offer. With the assistance of this… alien, he can do what he's desired to do for so long; rid his home city of the criminal scum that has been plaguing it for so long. "We have a deal."_

_And it was on that night a strange but powerful friendship had been born. The criminals of Starling City have no idea of the sheer terror that was about to be unleashed upon them all. Even the most ruthless crime families will soon… fear… the name…_

_Chaos._

Troy slowly opened his eyes with yawn, sitting upright in the bed. _**"You were dreaming the night we bonded." **_Chaos said.

"I was." Troy said aloud. He only spoke to Chaos out loud when they were alone. "Little hard to believe it's been four years since that night."

"_**It's been quite an adventure." **_Chaos mused with a chuckle.

"Yeah." Troy chuckled as well. "We've had criminals running scared in just a few weeks, we've fought guys like Malcom Merlyn, Waylon Jones, Slade Wilson, Emil Blonsky, Ra's al Ghul, and so much more."

Chaos was about to comment when the ship jolted, signaling that the vessel has landed. _"We have arrived in Leipzig, Germany, the most current location for Vandal Savage. And by the way, Captain, you are urgently needed in the medbay." _Gideon announced.

"Uh oh." Troy murmured grimly, knowing that something was wrong with Kendra.

In the corridor…

"I thought she'd stabilized." Rip said to Stein as they rushed to the medbay while an alarm blared loudly.

"As did I." The older man said.

The medbay door slid open, allowing the two entry. Kendra's entire body was twitching uncontrollable as the two men rushed to her side. "Carter! Where's Carter?" She whimpered, eyes still sealed shut.

"He's gone, Kendra. I'm so sorry." Stein said as Kendra continued to wail and thrash around.

"Gideon, turn that bloody noise off!" Rip shouted commandingly as he walked over to the medical screen.

"_Yes, Captain." _Gideon deactivated the alarm.

"What happened?" Ray asked as he walked into the medbay.

"Ms. Saunders appears to have had a complication." Stein answered.

"Ye- I know, what kind of complication?" Ray inquired.

"How could you leave him!?" Kendra shrieked before a light hissing sound filled the air, and she stilled.

"Is she-" Ray began.

"Medbay gave her a sedative," Stein quickly said, "but obviously her condition is worsening." Rip refrained from saying 'that would be an understatement'. A medical scan revealed something that is life threatening.

Minutes later in the bridge…

Rip was giving the grim news of Kendra's condition to Sara, Jax, Troy, Snart, and Mick. The Star City residents were standing next to each other, Jax was sitting on the central console, Snart was sitting against one of the jump seats, while Mick was pacing back and forth. "Pieces of the dagger have apparently broken off and are, as we speak, en route to her heart."

"Can't we just time jump into the future where they got the stuff that can fix her?" Jax queried.

"This ship is from that very same future and has, thus far, been unsuccessful in saving her." Rip answered, standing in the doorway leading into his study.

"Kendra wouldn't survive the time jump anyway." Snart added, and Rip gave him a look. "I pay attention."

"To sum up," Mick began, "Carter Hall is dead, the girlfriend's not too far behind, Vandal Savage is sitting pretty in nineteen seventy five, which we're now all stuck in. That how the plan supposed to work, Rip?"

"Obviously not," Rip began as he stepped out of the doorway, "but the mission is simple. We stop Vandal Savage here in the past and we save the future."

"Easier said than done." Troy quipped.

"Oh, indeed." Rip agreed. "The benefit of being a Time Master is that the length and breadth of history gives one… perspective. I've seen darker days. I've seen men of steel die and dark knights fall, and even then I accomplished my mission no matter what." He finished his speech before approaching the central console. "Gideon, what is our status?"

"_When the Waverider was attacked by Chronos, the Jumpship." _The AI informed as a holographic image of the Waverider was being displayed on the console, with a smaller ship ejecting from its top. _"Unless you make repairs, we will be unable to-"_

"Wait, Jumpship?" Jax repeated as he turned to face Rip.

"It's a small expeditionary vessel at the belly of the Waverider-" Rip began his explanation, which got Snart's attention. Then an idea struck the captain. "You're a mechanic! You have a look at it." Rip finished as he headed for the study.

Jax was baffled. He's works on cars. Working on a spaceship is a whole different level. "Uh… auto mechanic." He gestured to the room they were in. "Spaceship."

"Same thing, Jax." Troy said, earning Jax's attention. "As long as you're behind the knife, not under it."

"_**Fun metaphor." **_Chaos commented.

Rip half smirked at Troy's metaphor. Jax sighed, giving in. "Okay, if you've got a set of wrenches, I'll see what I can do."

Rip smiled at Jax and was about to enter his study when Mick spoke up. "What about the rest of us. Do we just sit?"

"Capital idea, Mr. Rory. You're not nearly as thick as most people say." Rip quipped before entering his study.

"Thick… does that mean stupid?" Mick asked anyone in general.

Minutes later, Rip sat at the desk located on the right side of the study room, taking out his pocket watch. He gazed at the picture of Miranda and Jonas that was on the underside of the lid, feeling a multitude of emotions surging through him. He could practically hear Miranda's voice, the voice that always calmed him.

"Is that your son? He looks like you." Sara said, startling Rip and he shut his pocket watch. "Sorry. Trained by the League of Assassins, sneaking up on people is kind of our thing." She added as she took a few steps toward the captain.

"I'd like to alone for a moment." Rip said without looking at her.

Sara didn't leave, leaning forward on the desk instead. "You don't actually have a plan, do you?" It was a statement, not a question. "And speech wasn't about convincing us. It was about convincing you. Didn't work, did it?"

"Not particularly, hence my desire to be alone." Rip said dryly.

Sara walked away from him. "So we can't kill Savage." She mused aloud.

"Oh, I see you've grasped the concept of immortality, well done." Rip remarked.

"Maybe we could slow him down." Sara pressed on. "Now, Ra's al Ghul taught me a thing or two about fighting powerful adversaries." Rip looked at her over his shoulder. "If you can't kill your enemy, weaken him. If you can't cut off his head, take his heart." She finished, taking a writing quill out of its ink container.

"Mr. al Ghul was quite the poet." Rip noted.

Sara placed the quill back in its ink container before turning to face Rip, arms crossed over her chest. "Back at the weapons auction, Savage was trying to _sell _his nuke."

Rip straightened in his seat as he picked up on where Sara was going with this. "Money is power." He said as he spun on his seat.

"Take away Savage's fortune and he's just a regular guy with a really long lifespan." Sara said with a smirk. Without said funds, it would be extremely difficult for Savage to financially progress through the years.

"It certainly would set his plan for world domination back a few decades." Rip pointed out as he stood up.

Sara approached the captain, her smirk still present. "So, where does Vandal Savage keep his money in nineteen seventy five?"

At the same time in the medbay, Stein and Ray were reviewing Kendra's condition, which has only worsened. She was now wearing a silver medical mask that helped her breathe better. "The broken knife fragments are moving through her circulatory system, and if you'll notice these," the elderly pointed to the screen, which was displaying an x-ray of Kendra's interior, blue blips representing the knife fragments, "they're closing in towards her heart."

"So what do we do?" Ray asked. Surely, the Waverider had technology that could remedy Kendra's condition.

"The fragments are miniscule. Even the ship's technology isn't capable of neutralizing them." Stein replied.

"Fortunately, there's a technology onboard that is." Ray said, and Stein looked at him for an answer. "The Atom suit." He added once his gaze landed on the older man. "I can shrink down, slip into her bloodstream, and use the photon canons to vaporize the knife fragments." He pressed on as the two walked up to the unconscious Kendra.

Stein knew the idea was potentially dangerous for Ray. "You'll be pushing the suit's limits. We should run some tests, make sure this is the best plan of action."

"This isn't the ivory tower, professor. We don't have time-" Ray protested.

"Listen to me, Raymond." Stein began.

"I'm not your student anymore." Ray reminded.

"You never were my student!" Stein snapped.

"Just because you don't remember me-"

"If you had been my student, I'd have taught you the principles of using scientific analysis, not this bravado."

"There isn't time. I' going in." Ray declared before walking out of the medbay, not giving Stein a chance to say anything.

Stein sighed quietly. Was Raymond always like that?

In the bridge…

"Gideon!" Rip began, and a holographic image of the AI manifested from the central console, which Sara was leaning on. "Where's Savage's money now?"

"_Dr, Boardman theorized that Savage entrusted it to Brűemberg Group, the oldest bank in the world."_ Gideon informed before holographic image vanished.

"I'll go tell the rest of the team." Sara said as she moved to do that.

"That won't be necessary." Rip said, causing Sara to look back at him. "I'm going alone." Sara gave him a look. "I can't have any more blood on my hands."

"Except for your own?" Sara inquired. "You can't go in there without backup."

"Look," Rip started as he moved around the central console, "I brought you all with me under false pretenses. Carter would still be alive if I hadn't convinced him to come."

"No one's on this ship that doesn't want to be here." Sara reminded him.

"But I can't risk the whole team." Rip argued, feeling guilty for Carter's death and Kendra's condition.

"Fine. Just me." Sara suggested and Rip looked at her. "And if it helps, I'm not giving you a choice. I'm going with you to that bank."

"Somebody say bank?" Snart called out as he entered the bridge from the left side. Banks mean money.

"Your services aren't required, Mr. Snart." Rip immediately said. "This is purely reconnaissance."

"We know how to case banks." Mick added as he entered the bridge from the right side, Rip hung his head low. "We're practically bankers."

"'Cept we take the money out." Snart piped, making a gesture with his hand for emphasis.

"Yes, and when I need someone to steal something, you'll be the first to know, I assure you." Rip said as he turned around while Mick approached the captain.

"Listen, Englishman." The arsonist growled. "I'm getting bored being stuck on this tin can. And when I get bored, I make bad decisions."

Rip stared at Mick with an unintimidated expression, and Snart intervened before scenario could escalate. "Now, now, now, we're all on the same side here." He said as patted both men on the shoulders. "My hot-headed friend and I just want to be helpful. That's all."

"Duly noted." Rip said before walking off with Sara.

"You should have let me punch him." Mick sneered to Snart.

"Yeah," Snart agreed before digging into his pocket, "then we wouldn't have gotten this." He pulled out the Jumpship's access key. Mick hummed as he eyed the object. With this access key, Snart and Mick are going to take a field trip to Central City.

In the medbay, Ray, in his Atom suit, stood next to Kendra. "You ready?" He asked Stein.

The older man tore his gaze from the medical screen to look at Ray. "Yes."

Ray gave Kendra a brief glance before putting a hand to his chest plate, shrinking down in size. He then flew upward toward an injector and entered through the hole located on the rear end. Stein took the injector in his hands and slowly approached Kendra, leaning down to press the injector against the woman's arm and pulled the trigger, sending Ray in.

Ray flew through Kendra's bloodstream. "Alright, where am I headed?" He said into his com.

"_You're exiting the tracheal artery. You should see the first fragment." _Stein reported.

Ray frowned as he continued to move throughout the bloodstream, having yet to come across said fragment. "No sign of it. Did I miss it?"

"_It's the size of an iceberg. It seems highly unlikely that you could miss it." _Stein said.

"That's probably what they said on the Titanic." Ray quipped, and he could faintly hear Stein groaning. Then, Ray spotted the first knife fragment. "Think I found it. Looks like all those years of playing Asteroids is about to pay off."

He snapped his arms out in front of him and activated his weapon systems. The projectiles vaporized the fragments as soon as they made contact.

In medbay, Stein looked at the medical screen and saw an improvement in Kendra's vital stats. "Her vitals are improving. It seems to be working." He stated.

Within Kendra, Ray eliminated another fragment. However, a smaller piece collided with him, sending him spiraling out of control and crashed against artery's side. Fortunately, he managed to gain control and flew ahead. _"There are still nineteen more fragments." _Stein informed. However, Ray halted as his suit behind to beep. He checked his hud and grimaced. Core containment had been damaged. Adding to that, he was panicking. _"Raymond? Raymond, you're not done!"_

Ray's panicked state was growing. "I'm losing core containment. Plot me a course out of here. Now!" He shouted as flew back the way he came. A whirlwind of thoughts were plaguing Stein's mind. It would seem they would have to conduct tests after all.

* * *

_**Brumberg Bank**_

Rip and Sara approached the glass doors of the oldest bank in the world, the former carrying a brief case, both of them wearing formal clothing suitable for this excursion. Rip pulled open the door and allowed Sara entry into the bank first. Should be quite simple enough; get in, take Savage's funds, and get out.

"Excuse me." Rip called out to the blonde receptionist as he and Sara approached the desk. "We'd like to deposit some family heirlooms." He added as he placed the briefcase on the desk edge.

"I'm sorry," the receptionist began apologetically as Rip removed the sunglasses he decided to wear for the occasion, "we're a private bank. We don't secure valuables worth less than ten million dollars."

"Well, I'm sure this will suffice." Rip countered politely as he spun the briefcase around and opened it, revealing what was stored inside. Futuristic technology certainly has its perks. "Doubloons from the wreck of the Esplinade. They've been appraised at ten million dollars… apiece."

The woman smiled before directing Rip and Sara to a different part of the bank. The captain shook hands with a blonde hair man named Blake. "Such a pleasure." Blake said to Rip as Sara eyed the man from her seat. "You won't regret your decision." Blake took the briefcase before adding, "The Bruemberg Group is known for its discretion."

"I'm sure there'll be a fair deal of paperwork to sign." Rip assumed as Blake moved around him.

"Not too much." Blake stopped at the doorway. "We like to cut through red tape here. Let me get this to one of our safe deposit boxes, and I'll get my secretary to move in on this paperwork." He then walked off to place the briefcase in a safety deposit.

Rip eyed Blake as he backed up toward the computer, then quickly sat down in front of the terminal once Blake was out of sight. Sara, however, knew they were about to have company. As an assassin, she was trained to always be alert for potential threats.

Rip scrolled through the bank's systems and gained access to Savage's files. But the immortal's funds were nowhere to be found. However, something else caught Rip's attention. "Interesting. There are records here referring to something called the 'vessel'." He said as Sara stood up from her seat.

"We have a problem." She said.

"Yes, I know, none of Savage's funds are in this bank." Rip didn't understand what Sara was implying. "I'm working on locating this 'vessel', but I'm not sure I'll do so before our new friend returns." He looked to see if Blake was returning, then turned his gaze back to the computer screen.

"To kill us." Sara added. _That _had Rip's attention, and the captain tore his gaze from the computer to meet Sara's serious expression. "The receptionist had a silenced Beretta under desk. The guards, South African mercenaries. You can tell by the initiation burns on their neck. And our new friend here has calluses on his right hand consistent with being Kuroda-trained swordsmen."

"How do you know?" Rip inquired.

"Because I have the same calluses." Sara answered. "Which means they've probably figured out that we are not Rockefellers who just came into their inheritance."

"Oh, don't be so alarmist." Rip brushed it off. "Calluses are hardly definitive proof of anything. They're jus-"

"Pretty sure they made us." Sara cut him off before turning around.

Rip followed her gaze and, true to her word, company had arrived. The receptionist aimed her pistol as Blake brandished his sword while the guards entered the room. Sara glared at them. "Well, if this is how you treat your customers," Rip began casually as he walked out of the room and into the larger room, "we might just have to take our business elsewhere."

Suddenly, Sara pulled out one of her knives and tossed it with a grunt. The blade flew across the room and pierced the receptionist in the chest, killing her instantly. "I thought I specifically said no weapons!" Rip shouted at her.

"You can thank me later." Sara patted him on the shoulder before walking forward, pulling out another knife.

One of the guards charged forward, swinging at Sara. She easily dodged the attack, retaliating by slashing her knife. The guard leaned back to avoid the blade, but Sara managed to stab him in the side of the neck, killing him before tossing the body aside. She roundhouse kicked another guard in the gut before reaching for yet another knife hidden underneath her red blouse.

"Exactly how many knives do you have?" Rip asked in a shocked tone.

Sara smirked briefly at him before approaching Blake. "Seems you brought a knife to a swordfight." The man observed.

Rip tore his gaze from his crewmember to focus on the other guards. One of them approached the captain, beginning with a wide right swing. Rip ducked under before bolting for a nearby coat hanger, grabbing it quickly. He rammed the bottom part of the hanger at the man's stomach, knocking him down with a grunt. Another guard swung at Rip, and the captain merely evaded and smacked the hanger's bottom across the man's face before smacking his back with the top part, breaking it off.

Blake cried out as swung his sword, but Sara kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering back with a grunt. Blake recovered and slashed his sword in an upward diagonal angle, which Sara evaded before moving behind Blake. The man tracked her movement and slashed his sword again, only for Sara to dodge it again and slugged Blake across the face. The former assassin slashed her knife with the intention of slitting Blake's throat, but the man ducked under and attempted to stab Sara. She grabbed the man's arm and flipped him over her shoulder, disarming him in the process.

"Sara." Rip called out.

She didn't hear him. All she could see was red. A wild, almost feral gleam glistened in her eyes. She whirled around and slashed the sword she had taken from Blake across the throat of a guard who was attempting to get up, sending blood flying through the air.

"Sara! Sara, don't!" Rip shouted as Sara prepared herself to end Blake's life, "We didn't get anything from the computer! We need him alive!"

The blade stopped _mere_ inches away from Blake's throat. The man panted heavily as he stared at the silver blade that had been taken from him. The feral gleam in Sara's eyes remained for a few seconds before she blinked, her senses returning. Slowly, she stood up, eyeing the slaughter she had just committed while Rip gazed at her with concern.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

After dumping Blake in the interrogation room, Sara stormed her way to the bridge. However, Rip was determined to discuss what transpired at the bank. "What the hell happened back there?" The captain demanded, pointing backwards for emphasis.

"You know I'm a killer. That's why you put me in your little group." Sara answered hotly as she made her way toward the bridge.

"I didn't witness just a killer at work, Sara. What I saw was an animal." Rip countered.

Sara harshly whirled around and glared at him. "You are last person on this ship to judge anyone!" She snapped before moving for the doorway leading into the bridge again.

"This is not judgment, Sara. It is concern." Rip amended.

Sara stopped in front of the door as it opened. She hesitated before turning back around to meet the captain's gaze. "I thought you knew how I was resurrected and-and what it did to me."

"I know you were restored by something called the Lazarus Pit." Rip said, having done his research.

"Well, apparently there's a downside to being brought back to life." Sara said, emotion quivering in her voice. "My friend Thea calls it a bloodlust, and I think that's being too generous," Rip said nothing, only listening to her as she spoke, "And so is calling me an animal. I'm a monster." And that is the reason she left after Team Green Arrow rescued Ray from Damien Darhk, when she killed one of the Ghosts.

With nothing more to say, Sara walked into the bridge. However, it wasn't as empty as she hoped. Troy was there, watching an old seventies TV show on one of the screens. He turned his head to meet Sara's gaze, but the former assassin turned back around and walked out of the bridge. However, Troy had caught the conflicting and pained expression on her face.

"_Something happened at the bank." _He said to Chaos.

"_**Indeed." **_The symbiote agreed. _**"I felt a strong and pained conflict from her."**_

"_That expression she had on her face… that was the same one she had after we saved Ray from Darhk." _Troy added grimly, concerned for Sara.

Meanwhile in the jumpship, Jax was working in the aforementioned vehicle. Although it was considerably small than the Waverider, the small vessel was just as impressive. Seven seats in total, the pilot seat and six passenger seats. Anyway, Jax, much to his own amazement, had repaired the vessel. It was just as Troy said, it's the same thing as long as you're behind the knife, not under it.

"Ha! Nice ride!" Mick preened with a grin as he and Snart entered the vessel.

"Yeah, it can hit Mach three in a walk." Jax agreed. "Pretty cool."

"How'd you know so much about it?" Snart asked as he moved to sit in the passenger seat closest to Jax.

"Little thing called an instruction manual." Jax replied as he held up the object in question.

"Did you read the part about how to fly this thing?" Snart inquired as he sat down.

Jax suddenly had uncomfortable feeling rattling his spine. "Maybe." He said hesitantly, giving the two malcontents glances. "Why?"

"We're gonna take a little sojourn to Central City." Snart explained. "There's a priceless jewel that needs to be freed from captivity."

"You want me to help you steal something?" Jax had to do a double take. "Nah, man. I'll pass." He turned his gaze back to the console.

"Not exactly asking, Jax." Snart said.

"Wow. Carter is dead," Jax began as he turned to face Snart, "Kendra is this close to joining him, and Vandal Savage is still alive and out there doing God knows what, and all you can think about is stealing some diamonds?"

"It's an emerald." Snart corrected.

The young African American shook his head in disgust. "Is there anything you think about other than yourself?"

"Yes. Money." Snart said as if it was obvious.

"Nah." Jax declared firmly as he stood up. "I'm not helping you guys steal anything. So if you want to shoot me, then shoot me."

Mick instantly leapt onto his, his hand darting for his flamethrower. "Can I shoot him?" He eagerly asked Snart.

The cold gun wielder held a hand up to halt the excited arsonist. "You got a pair on you, kid. I respect that." He said to Jax.

"So no shooting…" Mick guessed. Snart gestured him to seat back down.

"Look, you don't actually have to help us _steal _anything." Snart amended. "We just need to get to Central City. We'll be there and back before anyone knows we're even gone."

Jax turned to fix his gaze on the console. "Man, even if I wanted to help," he turned back around to face Snart, "and I'm not saying that I do," his eyes went back to the console, "this thing's got a security lockout. We need an access key."

Snart pulled out the access key he swiped from Rip, and Jax's eyes landed upon it. "You can't tell me you don't wanna see what this baby can do." Snart said.

Jax stared at him for a few seconds before turning to the console with a smirk.

Meanwhile in the cargo bay, Ray was reparing his suit when he heard footsteps approaching. He didn't turn around to see who it was, he knew. "I believe I've determined a way to more efficiently track the fragments still inside Ms. Saunders body." Stein said, having figured out that method. "Next time you'll be better prepared."

"There won't be a next time." Ray said, much to Stein's confusion.

"Can't you fix the suit?" The older man inquired.

"It's not the suit." Ray answered, his back still facing Stein.

"Raymond, you- you mustn't be discouraged." Stein encouraged, coming closer to the younger man. "We're scientists. We learn from failure, and we keep going."

"Kendra isn't a lab experiment. She's a person." Ray countered.

"I know." Stein agreed. "You need to have confidence this will work."

"Well, I don't. I can't save her." Ray shot back.

"Based on what evidence?" Stein demanded. "Are we not empirical thinkers, Dr. Palmer? Exactly how many people have you lost?"

Ray was silent for a few seconds. "One." He murmured softly, the painful memories of that night reviving themselves strongly.

"Who did you lose?" Stein asked gently, noting the somberness in the younger man's voice. "Someone close to you?" Ray remained silent. "Who was it, Raymond?"

"For someone who doesn't remember me," Ray began as he turned to meet Stein's gaze, eyes gleaming with annoyance, "you sure have a lot of personal observations to offer."

Stein realized that this conversation was going nowhere. "Fine, don't talk to me, but fix the suit. It's the only chance that poor girl has." The older man then left the cargo bay, leaving Ray alone to his thoughts.

In the interrogation room, Sara was leaning on the wall, Blake was bound to a chair sititng in the middle of the small room, a gag over his head. Rip came over and removed the gag off of Blake's head. "I'm gonna make this very simple for you, Mr. Blake." Rip began as he leaned to speak near the man's ear. "You tell me where Vandal Savage is hiding is fortune and we will let you leave here unmolested."

"Vandal Savage…" Blake repeated. "Is that the name you know him by?"

Rip walked to the wall closest to him. "Let's assume so, yes."

"And what is your name, Gareeb?" Blake sneered, earning Rip's full attention.

"Would you give us a moment?" The captain said to Sara.

"Gareeb?" The former assassin repeated, moving away from the wall she was leaning on.

"It's a legend passed down for four thousand years." Blake started. "When my master was first bestowed the gift of eternal life, an enemy tried to kill him. Every myth has its monster, its devil. For those of our order, it's him, the Gareeb." The man finished, sneering the last part at Rip, complete with a glare.

"I'd stop talking now if I were you, mate." Rip warned threateningly.

"If I were you, I'd run." Blake said to Sara, ignoring the captain. "Your friend has already failed to kill my master once. He won't be able to protect you. In fact, I highly doubt he's ever been able to protect anyone."

Rip yelled out and slugged Blake across the face, knocking him out cold. The man slumped unconscious in the chair he was bound to. Rip angrily placed a hand on the control pad and stormed out of the room, vehemence radiating off every part of his body.

"What did he mean you already tried to kill Savage?" Sara asked as she caught up with Rip in the corridor.

"Leave it be, Sara." The captain said.

"No, if you want us to do this-" Sara started.

"Yes, okay!" Rip whirled around. "Yes, I-I had the chance to kill Savage once before. I had him dead to rights and I hesitated."

_Hath-Set and Rip traded vicious blows. The priest swung his staff, but the captain ducked under to evade. Rip then slashed his knife twice, and Hath-Set blocked both times before hitting Rip in the face with the staffs end. The priest hit the captain again in the waist before hitting Rip in the legs, knocking him off his feet. Rip quickly got back on his feet and banked to the right to evade Hath-Set's upward diagonal strike. The priest swung again, but Rip blocked the staff and elbowed Hath-Set in the face, hitting him in the stomach and slugged him across the face again. Hath-Set dropped his staff and Rip pinned him against one of the stone pillars, his knife pressed against the priest's throat…_

_But Rip hesitated, and it cost him dearly. Hath-Set grabbed his arms as two guards came storming into the room, yelling in their language. One of them grabbed Rip and pulled him away from Hath-Set as the other guard pointed his spear at the captain._

"_Get off me! Gaah!" Rip yelled as he struggled to break free._

"_I asked you a question." Hath-Set said. "Who are you, Gareeb?"_

He had every chance to end that monster, to prevent so much pain and suffering, to save the world from the future of being ruled by someone who cannot be killed by conventional means. Above all, he had the chance to save his wife and son. And he hesitated.

"Killing is never easy, especially for a good man." Sara's voice brought Rip back to reality.

The captain meet her gaze, eyes gleaming with self-loathing. "The man killed my wife and son, and God knows how many other wives and sons, and yet I couldn't-" He trailed off emotionally. "Your killing people doesn't make you a monster, Sara, but having the chance to avenge your family and not taking it… that does." He was about to walk back to the interrogation room when-

"He not talking?" Rip and Sara turned to see Troy leaning on the wall. "Let _us _talk to him." Rip nodded as Troy walked passed them both.

"Ask him what the vessel is." Rip called out.

Troy then entered the room, eyeing the unconscious Blake. _"Alright." _He mused as he entwined his fingers, cracking them.

"_**Let's make him piss himself!" **_Chaos barked excitedly.

"_Easy, Chaos. We can still be civil about this." _Troy said. Although he couldn't see it, the host knew the symbiote was frowning.

"_**But I like making scumbags piss themselves." **_Chaos pouted.

"_I know you do." _Troy soothed. _"But let's give him the chance to talk willingly before we do that."_

"_**Fine." **_Chaos conceded. _**"But how should we wake him up?"**_

Troy smirked mischievously. _"Like this." _He pretended to spit in his palms before rubbing his hands together. Then, in one fluid motion…

_SMACK!_

Blake jolted awake, the left side of his face stinging. "Sorry about the rude wake up call." Troy quipped, not sounding sorry at all. "Seemed like my friends had some trouble getting you to talk, so, that's why I'm here."

Blake grinned. "And you think you will fare any better?"

"Oh I don't think, I _know_." Troy countered. "But, I am willing to give you a chance to talk at your own free will, before I make you talk."

"I will not say anything." Blake sneered.

However, instead of receiving an annoyed or angered expression, as Blake expected, Troy grinned devilishly. "To be honest, we were hoping you would say that."

Without warning, Troy's right hand became encased in his other's black flesh and grasped Blake firmly by the throat. The man stared with horrified wide eyes at the sight. "Wha-what-what are you?!"

Troy's demonic grin widened. "We…" he said before the black mass began to ooze out of his body, growing taller and muscular until his head was the last to form the familiar grinning face. **"Are Chaos."**

In the cargo bay, Ray was still working on repairing his suit, thinking of Stein's words, while trying to fight the memory of that night from climbing up to the top of his thoughts, when-

_**ROAR!**_

_**SCREAM!**_

Ray shuddered. "Wouldn't want to be that guy."

In the medbay, Stein too had heard Chaos' thunderous roar, which was immediately followed by the sound of Blake screaming. "Mr. Winter and his extraterrestrial companion's interrogation methods are certainly unrefined." He mused quietly.

In the interrogation room…

"**Ready to talk?" **Chaos asked with a sneer, saliva dripping from his fangs as Blake trembled terribly, despite the Klyntar's iron like grip on him.

"Yes!" The man shouted desperately.

"**What's the vessel?" **Chaos demanded.

"It's the remains of Prince Khufu of the Middle Kingdom!" Blake shouted.

"_Carter." _Troy breathed. _"We need to know where his body is and what Savage is planning on doing with him."_

"**Where is Carter's body and what is Savage going to do with him?" **Chaos growled.

"The Greyhill Building! There's a gathering in celebration of it!" Blake screamed.

"**Thank you for being a good boy." **Chaos said as if he were talking to a dog before removing his hand and his form receded back into Troy. Without another word, the host walked out of the room, leaving behind a piss stained Blake.

"What did he tell you?" Rip asked Troy as he approached him and Sara.

"The vessel is Carter's body. Savage has him at a place called the Greyhill building. There's an event going on there." Troy informed them grimly. Sara and Rip exchanged glances.

"Did he say what Savage is going to do with Carter?" Sara queried.

Troy shook his head. "No, but since it's Savage we're dealing with, it's obviously nothing good."

"Gideon," Rip shouted, coming to a change of plans, "locate the Greyhill Building and set a course."

"Wait." Sara said as she and Troy followed after the captain. "We have a plan. Going after Savage's fortune."

"Yeah, well, not anymore!" Rip whirled around to face the Star City natives. "I won't let Carter's remains be desecrated by that monster. I won't let him win again. And when Kendra wakes up-" he pointed in the direction of the medbay, "and she _will _wake up, she can give her soulmate a proper farewell."

"Then let's at least go in with everyone else. More firepower means a better chance of success." Troy reasoned.

Rip stared at Troy, considering, then he made his choice. "Gideon!"

"_Sir, Mr, Snart, Mr. Rory, and Mr. Jackson are no longer aboard the ship." _Gideon informed.

This revelation caused the trio to stop in their tracks. "Then where the hell are they?" Troy demanded.

"_**Up to no good." **_Chaos pointed out.

* * *

_**Central City**_

_**1975**_

The jumpship flew over Central City, somewhat covered by the darkness of night. The vessel then landed on the rooftop of Central City Museum. Snart and Mick had no trouble bypassing the security systems installed in the museum, since they were less advanced then what the duo were used to tampering with. With a flashlight in hand, Snart cautiously walked the dark corridors of the museum, ignoring the other priceless valuables, until he spotted the one he came for; the Maximillian Emerald.

"That's what I call a clean heist." Mick said as he entered the jumpship and took claim on one of the passenger seats.

"And thanks for not setting the museum on fire, partner." Snart told the arsonist before turning his attention to the pilot. "And you, thanks for being our getaway driver."

"Speaking of, let's get the hell back to the ship." Jax said as he turned around to begin the takeoff sequence, not wanting to get in trouble with Rip.

But Snart wasn't quite done yet. "Oh, one more stop." He held up a finger.

Jax turned back around with an unreadable expression. One more stop? "What are you talking about, boss?" Mick asked.

"Sixteen twenty nine Handley Avenue." Snart replied. While that confused Jax, Mick knew exactly what that place is.

"What's on Handley Avenue?" Jax questioned.

"It's where he grew up." Mick answered, connecting the dots. "That's why you wanted to steal the Maximillian Emerald."

"Mick, enough." Snart warned.

"You wanted to give it to your old man so he doesn't go to jail trying to steal it for himself." Mick added.

"Your father was a thief too?" Jax asked.

"And unfortunately, not a very good one." Snart said.

"Didn't Rip say something about not messing with the timeline?" Mick reminded.

"You could accidently blink yourself out of existence." Jax added. "You're screwing with history here, man."

"Yeah, well, history screwed with me first." Snart retorted.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Ray was standing in the medbay, wearing the red and black leather clothing he always wore underneath his suit, while gazing at the unconscious Kendra. He was feeling so helpless, and he swore to never feel like that since the night of the terrible incident. But now, that helpless feeling was returning, and this time, it stung more.

"I know how it feels." Stein said, standing the doorway of the medbay.

Ray turned around to face the older man. "What?" He asked, confused.

"To have a crisis of confidence." Stein clarified. "As unlikely as that might seem, I know." He began to walk into the medbay. "It was two thousand two. I was teaching quantum mechanics and I had one particularly gifted student. He was able to solve the Ehrenfest Theorem in less than an hour. He was, quite frankly, the only student in all my years of teaching who ever made me feel inferior." He paused to let Ray process the information before stepping forward. "That student… was you. You were exceptional."

"And suddenly, just like that, you remember having me in your class." Ray said, disbelief evident in his voice.

"I always remembered." Stein replied. "I just enjoyed taking you down a peg or two."

Ray chuckled humorlessly. "And why tell me now?" He asked.

"Because I cannot for the life of me reconcile that cocksure student I remember with a man who believes he doesn't have what it takes to save Ms. Saunders' life." Stein answered. "Who did you lose, Raymond?"

The younger man was silent as the painful memory came rushing back to the surface. "My fiancé, Anna Loring. She was killed two years ago during the Starling City Siege. Right in front of me. I couldn't stop them. I couldn't do anything. My leg had been broken. I couldn't get to her. I could only watch… as they broke her neck." Stein said nothing while Ray spoke, feeling sympathy for the younger man. Stein too knew what it was like to lose someone, considering he lost Ronnie, the other half of Firestorm before Jax. "I built this suit because I promised myself that night that I would never be powerless to save anyone again. So when that fragment broke free and damaged my suit, I… panicked. Froze."

"Raymond," Stein began softly, "you couldn't save Anna, but you can save Kendra. I believe it. I believe in that student. I just need him to believe it too."

Upon hearing those word and a glance at Kendra, all the self-doubt within Ray vanished, replaced by a massively strong burst of confidence. "Let's do it."

Moments later, Ray was once again traveling through Kendra's arteries in search of the knife fragments. Only this time, he intends to finish the job. _"I've located three fragments." _Stein informed.

Ray slowed himself to a halt. "Okay, I see them." He said after he spotted them, then thrusted forward again. "Damn, they're big."

"_Remember, the initial blast will create smaller pieces. You'll need to-"_ Stein started

"How does Jax put up with having you in his head?" Ray interrupted.

"_I believe, like Mr. Winter and his extraterrestrial companion, he finds my presence rather comforting." _Stein replied, since the bond between him and Jax was not unlike the bond between Troy and Chaos.

"I doubt that very much." Ray quipped.

The man then began to fire upon the fragments, rapidly unleashing projectiles while keeping track of the extra fragments created from the initial blasts. "Targeting system is overloaded." Ray noted as he continued to fire.

"_Focus, Raymond." _Stein reminded. _"Remember, you can do this. It's not the suit, it's you that Kendra needs right now."_

Ray continued to vaporize the fragments and once he was sure they were all neutralized, he moved on. _"Well done, just one more fragment to go." _Stein reported.

"I see it." Ray said as he approached it, noting its size. "It's the biggest one yet." He snapped his arms out forward and activated his weapon systems and fired upon the fragment and eliminated the smaller fragments.

"_You did it!" _Stein exclaimed in congrats before he exhaled sharply.

Ray wasted no time in finding a way out of Kendra's bloodstream. Once he exited, he returned to his normal size before taking off his helmet. "Well done." Stein congratulated. "I couldn't possibly be more proud."

"Well, maybe if you actually remembered me being your student." Ray said as he stepped forward. "Right around the subclavian artery, I remembered something. How I figured the solve to the Ehrenfest theorem… two years after I was in your class. Why did you tell me you remembered me when you didn't?"

"Because you needed a push." Stein answered.

"So all that stuff about me being exceptional?" Ray questioned, concealing his offence.

"Was probably true." Stein replied. "The fact of the matter is, I had many exceptional students over the years, I couldn't possibly remember them all."

"I was pretty amazing." Ray commented.

"If that were true, I suspect I'd have given you a higher grade." Stein said.

"I meant tonight." Ray cleared it up.

"Oh, yes." Stein agreed, eyes gleaming with proudness. "On that score, I cannot disagree."

Ray smiled, and Stein returned it before the older man made his way over to Kendra to examine her. They had done their part. All they have to do now is wait for her to awake.

* * *

_**Handley Avenue **_

After picking the lock, Snart quietly opened the door to his old home and quietly shut it. He gave a quick glance to the room on his left to make sure no one was there before moving deeper into the house. On a table, he saw some cards and a few beer bottles on it. His father always was a gambler and a drunk. Then, he made it into the living room. There, on the table, he saw a plush teddy bear, a bowl of crayons, and a coloring book. Snart feel a whirlwind of emotions plaguing him. He wasn't much of an emotional person, but he has his moments.

"I came down for a glass of water." A small voice said.

Snart whirled around to see himself, or rather, a much younger version of himself. He was wearing dinosaur pajamas, grasping a glass in his hands.

"I'm Leo." The boy said, unfazed by the fact that there's a stranger in his home. But the reality is a bit ironic. "Are you friends with my daddy?"

"Kind of." Snart answered.

"I think my daddy's sleeping." Leo said.

Snart knew that was not the case. His father was most likely downstairs in the basement, reviewing the Central City museum floor plans. Snart made his way over and kneeled down to be at level with Leo, emotion plastered on his face. "Can I tell you something, Leo? It's important." The boy nodded. "Don't ever let anyone hurt you. Ever. Not here…" He placed a finger on his head. "And especially…" He then placed a finger on Leo's chest, above his heart. "Not here. No matter what, you always have to look out for yourself. Okay? You understand?"

"I think so." Leo replied, not quite understanding why this man was telling him this.

Snart didn't even flinch he heard the sound of a gun cocking. "You get the hell away from my boy, you son of a bitch." Warned Lewis Snart, his revolver aimed at Snart's head.

"Why don't you go on up to bed?" Snart said to Leo. "Go on."

Leo nodded before leaving. Slowly, Snart stood up and turned to face his father, the two glaring at each other. Snart was resisting the urge to kill his father, considering the bastard rigged a bomb in Lisa's head, his sister, last year to force Snart's compliance on a heist.

"Talk fast, you take a bullet." Lewis warned, his revolver unwavering as Snart moved toward a nearby counter, former pointed a ceiling lamp at the intruder. "What're you doing in my home?"

"A favor for you." Snart answered before he reached into his pocket.

"Watch it." Lewis warned, thinking it was a gun.

"Relax." Snart assured as he pulled out the Maximillian Emerald, showing it.

Lewis' eyes went wide. "How the hell did you get-"

"Two days from now," Snart cut him off, "you try to steal this and you get arrested and you spend five years in Iron Heights."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lewis demanded.

"Cut the crap." Snart said. "We both know if I go down to the basement right now, I'll find floor plans for the Central City museum. Let's just say I've save you the trouble… and from being arrested." He slammed the emerald down on the counter to his left.

"How do you know all this?" Lewis demanded, his revolver having been lowered. His hostility had faded and was now replaced by an unnerving feeling.

"The same way I'll know if you even think of raising your hand to your wife and son." Snart answered as he stepped forward. "I know who you are. I know the man you become, and it's all I can do to keep from ending you right here, right now, but if I do, that means my sister's never born, so you get a pass."

Having said what he wanted, Snart left the room without another word. "Your sister?" He heard Lewis said in bafflement.

Snart walked out of the house, seeing Mick and Jax sitting on a black car. "Looks like you didn't write yourself out of the timeline." The arsonist noted.

"Looks like." Snart answered shortly as he approached them.

"But?" Jax asked.

"I don't know, I just thought maybe things would feel differently." Snart replied.

"The Englishman says it takes time for time to change." Mick reminded.

"What were you trying to change?" Jax questioned.

"My dad was never father of the year," Snart began, "but at least he never rasied a hand to any of us."

"Until he went to prison, which now he won't." Jax finished.

"Let's get out of here." Snart suggested. The three of them then moved to approach the jumpship

* * *

_**The Greyhill Building**_

Getting into the Greyhill Building had been no trouble at all. Rip and Sara had dressed for the event, as if they were attending the actual event. They had managed to get in with the assistance of Blake. Troy, however, was told by Rip to get in a different way, something that Blake had no idea of. The man then suggested that Rip and Sara would need his help to find Carter, but Rip said that they would manage without him. Sara then proceeded to knock Blake out and lock him in the trunk of the car they used to drive in.

Currently, Rip and Sara were in a large room bustling with activity. Tables had been set up with food and drinks. People were conversing with one another, while others were dancing to the violin music. "Maybe we should have had Blake show us around." Sara sighed as she looked around. The mansion itself was massive.

"Hm." Rip hummed as an idea came to mind. "Perhaps there's a less conspicuous way for us to do reconnaissance." He held his hand out. "May I?"

Sara eyed the hand, before her eyes met Rip's. "I'm not much of a dancer." She said. Well, she is, just not this kind.

"I'll lead, then." Rip said. Reluctantly, Sara took his hand and the two walked onto the dance floor. After few smooth moves, the two joined hand and hand. "Well, for a monster, you dance quite gracefully, Ms. Lance."

"Don't make fun." Sara warned, unamused.

"I know, I'm not." Rip assured her as they continued to dance to the music. "Nor do I consider you a monster. All I see is someone who is tortured by an appetite that she cannot control."

"There's no magical cure for what's wrong with me." Sara said.

"Of course there is." Rip countered with a chuckle. "It's called being better. When my family was killed, I thought there was no way I could go on, but I did. The truth of our existence is that we're all blessed and cursed with the drive to move forward. Live the next day. To get better." Sara stayed quiet, considering his words. "And you will too, Sara."

Then, Sara spotted two men with initiation burns on their necks. "Well, maybe I can start by managing not to kill these guys." She said as she watched the two men move out of the room. "They're scarred up like our friends at the bank."

"South African mercenaries." Rip noted as they broke off from their dance. "Why didn't you say so? Ladies first." With that said, the two moved out of the room.

Minutes later, Rip and Sara stumbled into a hallway while laughing, acting as if they were drunk, wine glasses in their hands, as they stumbled toward the two guards "This area's restricted, folks." One of them said.

"I'm just looking for the ladies room." Sara slurred before pretending to fall forward. One of the guards managed to catch her. Then without warning, Sara head butted the guard who had caught her before roundhouse kicking the other in the face, knocking them both out cold.

Rip bent down to retrieve the keys and unlocked the door into the restricted area. They entered a room that was lit only by candles. Rip then spotted another room that was covered by curtains. He flopped them aside and he and Sara entered the room…

To see Carter's lifeless body laying upon an altar. "Hope you have a plan to get him out of here." Sara said as they approached their lifeless teammate.

"Yup, there's a maintenance elevator that leads to a loading bay." Rip answered. "I'll have Gideon fly the Waverider down, and contact Mr. Winter."

"I just wish we knew what Savage was gonna do with Carter's body." Sara commented.

"Why not stay and find out?" The two immediately whirled around upon hearing the voice. Sara recognized him as the same man from the weapons auction. "Ah, the Gareeb." He had his gaze fixed on Rip. "Mr. Blake has told us so much about you." No sooner than the words were uttered when Blake himself entered the room, along with multiple guards.

With both of them cuffed, Ben **(I've decided to give the weapons auction man a name, if he doesn't have one already.) **and Blake lead the two throughout the corridors. "What're planning on doing with Carter's body?" Rip demanded.

"Oh, you'll see." Ben replied cryptically. "Mr. Blake informs us that you were hoping to steal our master's fortune, but while money has its uses, it is the not the source of his power."

"Then what is?" Sara asked.

"Let us show you." Blake said as they rounded a corner.

"_Where the hell are Troy and Chaos?" _Sara mused mentally, since she and Rip could really use some help.

The guards opened the double doors, revealing a large room filled with men and women garbed in blood red hooded robes, all of them repeatedly chanting, "Hym nu setta, rash mun setta."

"Our numbers are legion." Ben said as they walked into the room, gesturing to the man at the altar with Carter's body. "All drawn to the man who is immune to death. Wealth is not power…" Ben continued as he and Blake moved away from their prisoners, standing near the altar. "Belief is."

Rip and Sara were forced to their knees as the chanting continued. The man at the altar turned around, revealing it to be none other than Vandal Savage. He was not wearing his usual blue trench coat. He was wearing a black suit with a white vest underneath, and his long hair had been neatly tied back in a small bun at the back of his head. Savage raised his arms, and the chanting ceased.

"Hello, Gareeb." The immortal greeted as Rip stared at him with scorching hate filled eyes as Savage stepped down from the altar. "How long has it been? Four thousand years? You look well." He finished, chuckling as he grinned madly.

"When you and your friends attacked my estate in St. Roch, I was afraid I wouldn't get the chance to meet you once again." Savage confessed. "Well, if there's something that I've learned in four thousand years… it's patience. And this time I only had to wait one short day." He finished with a quip, complete with a sick grin.

Said grin then vanished as he moved over to a nearby table, which had the Aman Dagger and a bowl of water. "You're probably wondering what my plans are with your friend's body." He said as he picked up the dagger before gesturing to Carter's body. "I already have his life's essence, but his blood still has its uses."

As soon as he began to move toward the other side of the altar, the chanting resumed while Rip and Sara felt their stomachs clench. "Jack the Ripper showed me the virtues of severing the carotid artery." Savage said as he slowly ran the knife along Carter's neck, leaving a cut that began to ooze with blood.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

"Hym nu setta." Kendra began, her eyes still sealed shut. "Rash mun setta."

"Ok, what's this now?" Ray asked Stein as they cautiously approached the woman.

"Hym nu setta, rash mun- they're in trouble." Kendra whimpered as she shook her head.

"She appears to be hallucinating." Stein observed.

"Rip… Sara…Troy. You have to save them! Vandal! And Carter!" Kendra exclaimed as she began to thrash around on the medical chair/bed. "The Greyhill Building! Carter! Rip! Sara! Troy!"

Stein moved away from Kendra. "Gideon, search 'Greyhill Building'." The professor requested urgently.

"_I've already searched for it on behalf of the Captain, who's there now with Ms. Lance and Mr. Winter." _The AI informed.

"What?" Ray did a double take. "They left without us?"

"_It's a mansion several miles away. Apparently, there's some sort of private event." _Gideon added.

"How the hell could Kendra know that they're there?" Stein asked rhetorically.

Suddenly, Kendra lurched up on the medical chair/bed, eyes wide open with a multitude of unreadable emotions. "You have to save them!" She yelled out before she fell back onto the chair/bed.

"What's going on?" Ray questioned as he eyed Kendra with concern.

"I don't know!" Stein exclaimed before taking action. "Gideon, get me Jefferson."

"_Mr. Jackson is not aboard." _Gideon said.

Stein shook his head in exasperation. "Oh, don't tell me-"

"_He's with Mr. Snart and Mr. Rory on the jumpship." _The AI added. _"I'm patching you through."_

"Jefferson?" Stein said into com channel. "Jefferson, where are you?"

"_Well, it's not a short story." _Jax's voice sounded.

He was obviously going to say more, but Stein beat him to it. "There's no time. Gideon will upload you coordinates to the Greyhill Building. Rip, Sara, and Troy are in danger."

"_We're on our way, professor." _Came Snart's voice.

* * *

_**Greyhill Building**_

Rip and Sara watched in disgust as Savage and Ben traded items, the latter handing the former a stone cup. Savage then placed the cup next to Carter's neck, letting the blood pour into it. Once there was a decent amount, Savage lifted the cup to his lips and sipped the blood. His eyes glowed red for a few seconds, and he became ever stronger. "Centuries ago," the immortal began as he moved to the table, placing the cup on it before dipping his hands in the water bowl, washing the blood off before grasping the cup again, "I discovered that although immortality is mine alone, I can share a taste… with my faithful. Help them live an extra hundred years or so." He finished as he handed the cup to Ben, who nodded in respect and thanks.

The man brought the cup to his lips and sipped the blood, his eyes glowing red briefly. The robbed people stood up, chanting the phrase over and over. Ben then handed the cup to Blake, repeating the same action as Ben and Savage.

Savage then gestured the guard to lift Rip onto his feet. He obliged, lifting the captain onto his feet while the other guard forced Sara to remain kneeling when she attempted to stand up.

"When we first met," Savage began as he approached Rip, "I asked you who you were. Remember?" Rip remained silent. "That was the wrong question. I should have asked you 'why'. Why did you seek to kill me? What could I have possibly done to deserve that hatred I see burning in your eyes? Did I take something from you? Someone?" Rip still remained silent. But his silence gave Savage his answer before he reached into the captain's pocket.

"Get your hands off that." Rip growled as Savage took out his watch.

The immortal studied the picture underneath the lid. "Ah," he said before he lifted his gaze up to meet Rip's angered face, "your wife, I take it. Oh, she is lovely. The boy has your eyes. I'll be sure to keep the picture close." Savage assured him as he placed the watch in his pocket. "I don't remember killing them," he added, before grinning insanely, "yet. It seems like I have a lot to look forward to." He turned around to approach the altar.

"This is a perversion!" Rip shouted in disgust.

"No," Savage countered as he turned back around to face the captain, "this is the power you have no hope of defeating. Everyone here is sworn to live and die at my command. Why? Because to them, I am a _GOD_!" He shouted, before scoffing. "I pity you. You have no idea what it's like to have people willing to follow you up to the gates of hell!"

Savage had just finished his yelling when one of the hooded people made his way out of the crowd, causing the others to gasp. The person's hands reached up and lowered the hood, revealing the face of Troy Winter. Savage stared at him in alarm, while Rip and Sara had relieved expressions on their faces.

"Surprise, mother fuckers." He sneered before ripping off his robes, revealing his casual attire before the black mass exploded out of his body, towering over all. **"We forgot our invitations, hope you don't mind." **Chaos snarled.

At the same time, a loud engine noise filled the air, blue and red lights briefly flashing the room. "Actually, I have a little bit of an idea." Rip said to Savage.

The doors flung open, revealing Snart, Mick, and Jax. "Let's get this party started!" The arsonist exclaimed gleefully, flamethrower charged and ready to fire.

"Here's our invitation." Snart added before firing his cold gun, the subzero beam hitting a charging guard, killing him.

The room soon became chaotic. Chaos flexed his claws and the talons extended before slashing them at a guard, sending him flying lifelessly across the room. The Klyntar then sent out two bladed tendrils, cutting the binds off Sara and Rip with extreme precision, freeing them. Snart and Mick fired their elemental weapons, the arsonist yelling excitedly. With a glare, Savage moved to retrieve the Aman Dagger and took cover behind the altar.

Jax sprinted ahead and slugged a guard across the face, knocking him down before tackling another to the floor before proceeding to pummel him.

"Englishman!" Mick shouted before tossing Rip his laser revolver. The captain caught it and began to fire at the enemy.

Sara grabbed a man's arm who was equipped with a knife. She painfully twisted the limb before kicking the man in the back.

"You came!" Rip shouted over the turmoil.

"We're a team!" Jax reminded him. "Next time, remember that!"

"Enough!" Savage roared as he stood up from behind the altar. He pointed the Aman Dagger and the knife unleashed a beam of lethal energy.

Everyone ducked under to avoid the beam while Chaos latched onto the ceiling. "Get Carter's body out of here." Rip ordered as Chaos landed back on the floor. "Sara!"

"I got this." She said before getting up.

Snart leapt onto his feet and fired his cold gun. Savage ducked under the subzero beam as Mick and Jax scrambled to lift Carter's body and get him out of the room. Chaos' hands morphed into scythe like blades and he flung them, slicing those caught in their reach. He snarled as he retracted his weapons before lunging for a guard, grabbing him by the head and threw him overhead at another guard. Sara fiercely backhanded a few guards effortlessly before kicking the charging Blake in the chest, knocking him down.

The commotion came to a brief deadlock as Sara and Blake stared each other down while Chaos sneered at his enemies. It was Savage's loud yell that caught everyone's attention. The immortal slammed the Aman Dagger onto the floor, sending out a powerful shockwave. It knocked everyone off their feet, minus Chaos, who simply staggered back.

"Go!" Rip ordered Snart. "I'll deal with Savage."

"Good luck with that." Snart remarked before getting back onto his feet and took his leave, following Mick and Jax.

Rip got onto his feet and fired his revolved, shooting the dagger out of Savage's hand before darting for the immortal with a yell, and the two fell to the floor.

Sara blocked Blake's kick and evaded both his punches.

Chaos approached a man and opened his maw impossibly wide, sinking his teeth into his victim's neck and tore the head off, immediately spitting it out.

Rip aimed his revolver, but Savage grabbed his arm and right hooked the captain across the face, before elbowing him in the face, punching him in the stomach and then kicked Rip in the same area, knocking him down on his back. Savage then pulled out a knife, a death glare plastered on his face. But just when the immortal was about to move on the captain, a black tendril struck him across the face. Chaos roared as he lunged forward, grabbing Savage by the head and tossed him against the altar, dropping his knife.

Rip quickly recovered and retrieved the knife Savage had dropped. He quickly whirled around and darted at Savage as the immortal began to recover from being tossed into the altar. Rip then pinned Savage against it, the knife pressed against the immortal's throat, just like when they fought four thousand years ago. Only this time, Rip would not hesitate. "This is for Miranda and Jonas!" The captain shouted…

And slit Savage's throat. The psychotic immortal clutched his new injury, eyes going wide and gleaming with pure insanity. "At least I know their names now. Miranda and Jo-" He coughed up a good amount of blood. "Jonas."

Sara grabbed Blake and flipped him over her shoulder. Before Blake could get up, Sara got on top of him and began to stab him.

"I will heal…" Savage said to Rip in a strained voice as he felt his body shutting down. "And then, huh, I will _RISE_… and I will simply wait. I am looking forward to meeting them." Savage's eyes rolled back as he coughed up more blood before going limp, slumping down to the floor.

Rip breathed heavily, but then noticed Sara ruthlessly and repeatedly stabbing Blake. "Sara, Sara. Sara!" She stopped stabbing…

The floor right next to Blake's head. She never once stabbed Blake. The former assassin met Rip's gaze. Then, Blake attempted to get up while Sara was distracted, but she slugged him hard, knocking him out.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

The crew had returned to the ship. Mick and Jax carried Carter's body to the medbay and placed him in cryo-storage. "Gideon," Rip said as he walked the corridors toward the medbay, "I need a check on the timeline. Vandal Savage."

"_The timeline is unchanged, Captain." _The AI informed. _"You know better than anyone that Savage is immortal. He cannot be killed through conventional means."_

"Which is why I need you to work on finding out where history records seeing him next." Rip said before he walked into the medbay. "How is she?" He asked Ray and Stein.

"Better." Kendra herself answered the question as Rip approached her while she sat upright on the chair/bed. "Thank you for what you did for Carter."

"Believe me, it was a team effort." Rip said. "As was, apparently, your recovery."

"Well, actually," Ray began, "I did most of the physical work," seeing the look Stein was shooting him, Ray quickly added, "and the Professor was there for emotional support."

"You're welcome." Stein nodded, a small lace of annoyance in his voice. "Now, if we could just figure out a way wrest the Amon Dagger out of Savage's hands into yours."

"I don't think I'm exactly up to taking him right now." Kendra said wearily. She doesn't want to end up like Carter, but at the same time, his death has given her the motivation to end that monster.

"No," Rip agreed, "but you will be… and we'll help you get ready." Kendra simply nodded.

In the bridge, Snart was holding a newspaper while staring intensely at the screen in front of him, which was displaying an image of Lewis being arrested. "Maybe you didn't understand me," he said to Gideon, since he had requested to see the new timeline, "I asked for the new timeline, Gideon."

"_This is the new timeline." _Gideon said. _"Two days from now, your father will be arrested trying to sell the Maximilan Emerald to an undercover police officer."_

"Stupid son of a bitch." Snart mumbled quietly as Jax entered the bridge.

"_He'll be sentenced to five years in Iron Heights." _Gideon added. _"Despite your intervention, his future remains unchanged."_

Snart closed his eyes, doing his best not to let his anger spill out. "Hey," Jax said to him, "you tried to save him. That's got to count for something."

"Turns out it doesn't." Snart said.

It was at that moment Sara entered the bridge. "Come on." That's all she said.

"Where are we going now?" Snart asked, his back facing her.

"To say good-bye." Sara answered.

* * *

_**Field**_

The team had gathered in front of two graves, one for Aldus, and the other for Carter. The tendril with Chaos' face flowed from Troy's shoulder. All of them, save for Mick, had dressed in black. Kendra was holding a bundle of flowers. The air was heavy with somberness.

"The other day," Rip began as he moved around the graves to stand in front of the team, "I tried to find some words of inspiration. Words that would restore hope to us in the wake of our losses, but it is all of you who have inspired me. Beginning with Professor Boardman and then with Carter, their heroism is… an inspiration to us all. And a reminder that one person acting alone can't save the world." He hung his head low to allow a moment of silence.

Sara and Troy were the first to walk away from the gathering and back toward the Waverider, followed by Mick, Snart, and Jax. Kendra knelt down and placed half of the flower bundle on Aldus' grave, the other half on Carter's. "Come back to me." She murmured while gazing at Carter's grave, feeling the emotions bubbling up inside her. She stood up with a sniffle before turn to the two men who had saved her life. "Thank you. Both of you." She said gratefully. She owes them a debt.

"We're sorry for your loss, Kendra." Ray said softly.

Kendra nodded in gratitude before moving away, afraid that if she remains around any longer, she won't be able to contain her emotions. "I believe Anna would be proud." Stein said to Ray. "As am I." He patted the younger man on the back before they walked together back toward the Waverider. Rip lingered for a bit as he dived into his thoughts.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

The doors on the right side of the bridge opened, and Rip rushed in. "Gideon, ready us for takeoff." He ordered.

"Whoa, are we being chased or something?" Jax asked.

"No, but I imagine right about now the museum has realized that their prized emerald is missing." Rip explained as he moved toward his seat, well aware of what Snart had done.

"You want me to say I'm sorry?" Snart inquired, arms crossed over his chest.

"Sorry, I don't do sorry." Mick stated.

"Which is fine, Mr. Rory, because you are owed the apology." Rip said, and the arsonist squinted his eyes in confusion. "I should have told you all before that this wasn't my first attempt to vanquish Vandal Savage, but the reason I failed before-"

"Was because you didn't have all of us." Ray finished.

"Obviously Dr. Palmer and I had our hands full tending to Ms. Saunders," Stein said, gesturing to the woman in question, "but now that she's back on her feet-"

"We're back to full strength." Rip supplied.

"Or as strong as we can be without Carter." Kendra said.

The tendril with Chaos' face formed out of Troy's shoulder. **"Sure, just forget about me." **Troy shot the symbiote a scolding glare.

"But there is no point in us continuing any further." Rip began. "Unless we are all, and myself included, committed to working in concert."

"You don't ditch us, we won't ditch you." Snart said. "Deal?"

"Just no more secrets, captain." Troy said.

"**Because in our experience in working with our friends in Star City, secrets have a tendency of coming to the surface and fucking shit up." **Chaos added.

Rip nodded. _"Sir," _Gideon announced, _"I've completed my review of the timeline." _That's exactly what Rip wanted to hear. _"I calculate a ninety eight percent likelihood that Savage reappears in nineteen eighty six."_

"Chart a course, Gideon." Rip ordered as he moved for the captain's chair while everyone fastened their harnesses.

"Guess we're headed to the eighties." Ray quipped. "Better break out your parachute pants."

"What the hell are parachute pants?" Jax asked in bafflement before the ship time jumped, heading for the eighties.

* * *

**I mean't to put this in when I posted the chapter, but at that point, I was just exhausted. This is going to be a season rewrite, in case you guys haven't figured it out. I have asked authors like Stand by Ward and Queen and Bl4ckHunter, who are very good and amazing authors, the very ones who have inspired me to write, their feedback on the flaws of season 1.**

**One of my main goals in this is buffing Savage to the point where he can easily beat Rip's crew in hand to hand combat, minus Chaos, obviously. I think everyone can agree with me that the Vandal Savage in Legends was not the Vandal Savage in the crossover. I mean, an immortal with four thousand years of experience, has no doubt mastered countless fighting styles, has insane knife skills, but was defeated by guys like Rip and Ray. Aside from Kendra, Carter, and in this story, Chaos, Sara has the best chance of standing her ground against Savage, since she was trained by the League of Assassins. But then again, Oliver had training from the League, hell, even by Ra's al Ghul himself, and Savage still easily bested him in the loft and in the warehouse before Barry went back in time. In short, it really just annoyed me how Savage was nerfed in canon. If the writers wrote him the way he should've been, Vandal Savage could've been one of the best villains of the Arrowverse. But no, he isn't.**

**Another thing I'm going to fix is Kendra. She is _NOT _going to be the whiner she was in canon. Her constant complaining that she was barista before she found out about her powers was just annoying. So in this, Carter's death has given her the motivation and made her realize that she's destined for being so much more than just a barista.**

**This should go without saying, but I will say it anyway. The Captain Canary scene will not be happening, since I am pairing Sara and Troy. That scene was so forced. Prior to that point, there was no indication that Sara and Snart had feelings for each other.**

**Other things will be fixed and rewritten to the best of my ability, but Savage and Kendra are going to be the ones that will see a lot of change and rewriting.**

**As always, thanks for reading! Please leave a review and until next time, have an awesome day and stay tuned for more!**


	4. White Knights

**Helloooooooooooooooooo everybody! Here is chapter four!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only my OCs.**

**Jason Hunter: If I'm understanding your question correctly, yes, Chaos is like a version of Venom.**

**Nora-11: Chaos does look like Venom, except his veins are gold instead of white. He has spikes on his back and elbows, horns on his head, and has Riot's claws.**

**A very special thanks to Panther-10 who suggested Jensen Ackles to represent Troy Winter! Thank you again, my friend, also for your kind words!**

**A special thanks to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and followed! Your support is very much appreciated!**

**Without further ado...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**Washington D.C.**_

_**The Waverider**_

_**1986**_

The Waverider exited out of the Temporal Zone, soaring the semi cloudy skies over the capitol of the United States while engaging the cloaking device. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Rip asked his crew.

"Walk in the park." Snart said as everyone lifted their harnesses. "Where are we now?"

"Washington, D.C." Rip replied as his seat rotated around while sliding away from the pilot console. "The year is nineteen eighty six."

"We've landed at the height of the Cold War in a world poised for nuclear annihilation." Stein stated as he stood up from his jumpseat. He very well remembers the tension that was in the air during those years.

Gideon's holographic projection appeared on the central console, drawing everyone's attention. _"We've traveled here because I have a new lead on Vandal Savage's location." _The AI informed as the tendril with Chaos' face formed out of Troy's shoulder.

"Yes." Rip said as he came over to the console, and Gideon's holographic projection vanished. "Gideon managed to intercept this telefax concerning Savage's last known whereabouts." He finished as an image of a telefax appeared on the central console's screen.

"Tele-what?" Jax asked, baffled.

"It's like an email… on paper." Ray explained as everyone gathered around to take a look.

However, the majority of the words have all been blacked out. "Wow, that's totally useless." Mick was the first to voice what everyone was thinking.

"Dude, this whole thing's crossed out." Jax pointed out. How on Earth will they manage to pull information from this?

"Yeah, redacted by the U.S. government," Rip started before turning around and walked toward the pilot window, "which is why we are here to steal the original file on Savage back from those who are tracking him."

Troy's eyes slowly widened as he put two and two together. "No way." He said in disbelief as everyone trained their gazes on the window.

"Uh, that's the…" Ray didn't need to finish the sentence. Everyone knew what they were looking at…

The heart of America's military, the Pentagon.

The ship slowly hovered closer to the building. "Now, now. Don't worry. We are cloaked." Rip assured them, since every timeship is outfitted with stealth technology in the event a Time Master ever needs to conduct work in any era with radar.

"You want us to break in to the Pentagon?" Mick asked, not looking for answer. A chance to break into one of the most heavily guarded places in all of America? The arsonist would jump at the chance. "Sounds awesome."

"It sounds crazy." Kendra was clearly not comfortable with the prospect.

"What's the plan?" Sara inquired. Since this is the Pentagon, a _very meticulous _plan needs to be formed, as well as backup plans.

"Oh, the Fabricator will fashion you the necessary Pentagon credentials." Rip answered as he continued to gaze at the building they are to infiltrate.

"Ooh, and don't forget our G-man disguises." Ray said in an excited tone. Rip tore his gaze from the Pentagon and stared at Ray in a mix of annoyance and disbelief. "I always wanted to be a spy."

"**Ray." **Chaos said, earning the man's attention. **"Just shut up." **Ray frowned.

"For once, I agree with the head biting alien." Snart admitted.

"**Remind me to be flattered." **Chaos sneered, his jagged pseudo eyes boring into Snart.

"Relax, Chaos." Troy said.

"Alright, enough squabbling." Rip declared sternly. "It's time to go to work."

* * *

_**The Pentagon**_

Ray was disappointed when he was assigned to act as a janitor, along with Snart and Troy. Currently, the three were running their mops along the floor as they awaited instructions from their captain. _"Now, the file we're after is kept in a secure records room." _Rip said over the com channel. _"In order to gain access we're going to need to, uh, _borrow _a magnetic key card." _By borrow, he meant steal.

"Because this is so much easier than just shrinking down and stealing it." Ray commented, a lace of disappointment in his voice.

Troy smirked as he heard the sound of heels coming closer. "Don't worry, I got this." He released his mop and let it casually fall to the floor.

A woman gasped as she slipped on the wet floor. Suddenly, she felt a strong hand grip her back before she fell to the floor. "Are you alright, ma'am?" Troy asked.

She blinked a few times. "I wasn't watching where I was going." Troy assisted her in standing up. "Thank you."

"No worries." Troy said casually before the woman slightly adjusted her cover before walking away.

"_**You sly dog." **_Chaos chortled.

Then, Troy pulled out the magnetic key card he had swiped from the woman. Ray examined it briefly. "That's a nifty little trick." He complimented.

Snart's gaze was one of interest. Then, as if sensing the stare, Troy said, "You're the not the only who knows how to pickpocket."

Sara and Kendra emerged from around a corner, the former wearing a navy blue uniform and the later wearing a white uniform, striding toward the janitor trio. Troy grabbed his mop and stood up, subtly holding out the key card. Sara took it as she passed by Troy.

The two women made their way throughout the Pentagon, following the directions to the counter intelligence department they had memorized back on the Waverider. They nodded at those who gave them the same gesture, to keep up appearances and not attract attention to themselves. Finally, they arrived at the double glass doors that led into the counter intelligence department. Sara inserted the card into the card reader and it beeped, allowing them entry.

"_The records room has closed-circuit cameras." _Rip informed over the com channel. _"We need a diversion." _

"_Someone call my name?" _Mick's voice came through next.

In the security room, two men were monitoring the screens, as they had been ever since they arrived earlier that morning. However, the sounds of cheering and applause reached their ears. The two men exchanged intrigued glances before they both stood up and went to see what the commotion was about. And they had just missed Sara and Kendra opening the door leading into the counter intelligence room.

With Mick, the arsonist was outfitted in a camouflage uniform, and he was currently arm wrestling with a well-muscled African American man. Spectators watched with eager eyes, cheering and yelling, some even having money at the ready. "Double or nothing says I put this punk on the pinewood." Mick said as he stared into his opponent's eyes while the two men from the security room waltzed in.

"Yeah, I'll take a piece of that action." One of the security room men nodded, having a need for a break.

The cheering and whistling increased in volume as Mick and his opponent struggled to win the arm wrestling match. _"We got the file." _Sara reported.

Meanwhile in the basement, Jax in Firestorm form was approaching the power box. _"Okay, now for the tricky part." _Rip began. _"All personnel are subject to search upon exiting the Pentagon. Firestorm will divert the power long enough for you to exit." _

Jax grasped the handle and opened the box, revealing its interiors. "Ready when you are." He said before firmly gripping the wires as fire formed out of his head while electricity sparked violently. The power had been rerouted. "All clear."

However, Stein noticed something that raised a red flag. _"What did you do, Jefferson? I warned you about the electromagnetic pulse. Now you've touched a neutral wire, causing the power to pass through us." _The professor stated in alarm.

"You mean, 'pass through me'." Jax retorted, voice heavy with annoyance. How does Troy put up with Chaos in his head?

"_If you knew anything about alternating current power-"_

"Gray?"

"_Yes, Jefferson?"_

"Shut up."

The words were barley uttered when an explosion sent Jax flying back, and he landed with a grunt as a distant alarm start to wail. "The alarm!" He exclaimed. This is about to go south.

Meanwhile, Sara and Kendra had removed their covers, the former tucking the file on Savage under her arm, as they approached an exit, only to be stopped by a guard. "This is a restricted exit."

"Sorry, we must have gotten lost." Kendra tried to brush it off and began to walk forward, only to be halted again.

"I'm going to need to see your key card, ma'am." The same guard said firmly with a raised. Sara glanced at the guard behind her over her shoulder while Kendra glanced at her companion, while all the atmosphere became thick with tension. Seeing her hesitation, the guard spoke into his radio, "We have a code seven violation."

He didn't get to say more when Kendra slugged him across the face. Sara's leg thrusted upward and kicked the guard behind her in the chest, knocking him down to the floor as Kendra threw the first guard into another.

Then, Kendra's wings sprouted out. Sara stared at her companion in alarm as Kendra turned around, her eyes glowing briefly while a hawk's cry could be heard. Kendra Saunders was gone, and Priestess Chay-Ara had taken over. "We have a slight problem." Sara said grimly into the com channel.

Meanwhile with Mick, the arsonist had prevailed in the arm wrestling match just when the alarm began to buzz loudly. Mick briefly glanced at the ceiling, knowing that was his cue to get the hell out. Without hesitation, he reached for his flamethrower and pulled it out, the weapon charging loudly. "It's been fun, fellas." He commented as he stood up, pointing his weapon. "Back! Aaah!" He unleashed a stream of flames, causing the others to duck under as the arsonist exited the room with haste.

"_Where is that smoke coming from?" _Rip demanded in alarm, the Waverider's systems registering the smoke detectors going off.

Kendra rushed outside, smacking a charging guard in the face before punching two others, going completely berserk. _"We got the file. What the hell does Kendra think she's doing?" _Rip demanded heatedly.

Sara rushed out the doors just in time to see Kendra pin a guard to the ground. "Good question." The former assassin replied.

Kendra's hands morphed into talons nearly as sharp as Chaos', and she did not hesitate to mercilessly slash them across the face of the screaming guard she had pinned to the ground. _"Oh, wonderful. We've got a demigoddess who's gone completely berserk. Abort. I repeat, abort. Get back to the ship right now." _Rip commanded.

"_Roger that." _Jax acknowledged. The next thing Sara heard was the sound of Firestorm bursting through the Pentagon's roof.

"_I meant 'use the door'." _Rip clarified in annoyance. _"But while you're at it, can you help return our winged avenger to her cage?" _

Sara looked u and watched as Firestorm swooped in and snatched Kendra before flying off. Just mere seconds later, she felt a large clawed hand snatch her as well. She rolled her eyes as Chaos dashed off away from the Pentagon.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

The team had gathered in the bridge, the tendril with Chaos' face flowing from Troy's shoulder. Rip was leaning on the central console, a furious expression plastered on his face. "Instead of dwelling on what went wrong," Ray began, trying to relieve some the tension in the atmosphere, "let's focus on the positive."

"What are you talking about? It was awesome." Mick remarked casually, causing Rip to slightly shake his head and Troy to roll his eyes.

"In the same way that tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are 'awesome'." Stein uttered.

"We got the file on Savage." Kendra pointed out, arms crossed over her chest.

"Despite the hiccup with the alarm?" Stein inquired, looking at Jax.

"Oh, so it's my fault now?" Jax shot back. "You know, maybe if you weren't always yammering away in my head, I could actually focus." Rip shook his head once more.

"You have access to sixty years of knowledge and experience." Stein reminded the young African American, restraining himself from snapping. "Why not just take advantage of that?"

"Because it's my body on the line out there, not yours." Jax retorted in annoyance.

"Hey," Sara cut in, "it's not your fault. Everything would have been fine if Big Bird over here hadn't freaked out."

"Excuse me?" Kendra demanded heatedly while Troy and Chaos snickered.

"Enough." Rip declared before anyone else could add fuel to the fire. "There is plenty of blame to go around. Now, fortunately, Gideon was able to generate a low-end EMP, which erased all the Pentagon's magnetic media."

"Like security footage?" Ray noted.

"Look, you're just lucky that the Department of Defense likes to keep incidents like this under wraps." Rip told them before moving around the console. "Gideon, any luck with our purloined secret file? Please say yes." He mumbled the last part to himself.

"_Yes, Captain. According to the Pentagon, Savage has defected to the Soviet Union." _The AI informed.

The tension that was in the room mere moments ago returned, but this time, it went up several notches. "So, the most powerful evil the world has ever known has just gone red at the height of the Cold War." Stein was the first to voice his thought on the revelation.

"And now he's gonna help them cook up something that kills the future." Ray added gravely.

Rip didn't hesitate. "Gideon, set a course… for the Soviet Union." The captain ordered as the Chaos tendril retracted back into Troy.

"_**This'll be our second time going to Russia… or it is our first?" **_The symbiote pointed out before becoming confused by his own statement. Time travel is a tricky thing.

In late months of twenty thirteen, the symbiotic duo, Oliver, John, and Felicity went to Russia to rescue John's then ex-wife, Lyla Michaels, who ended up in the worst gulag in Russia, Koshmar, because she was tracking an assassin named Floyd Lawton, better known as Deadshot.

"_Either way, instead of breaking Lyla out of Hotel Psychopath, we're chasing after someone who makes Ra's al Ghul and Damien Darhk look like street thugs." _Troy piped.

"_**I'm pretty sure Vandal Savage makes everyone we've faced look like street thugs, maybe except Blonsky." **_Chaos retorted, remembering the fight against Abomination during the Starling City Siege. So far, it was the toughest fight the symbiotic duo had ever faced.

"_That's true." _Troy agreed with a shudder.

* * *

_**U.S.S.R Airspace**_

_**The Waverider**_

The flight to Russia didn't take long, as the Waverider was faster than any aircraft in current existence. Rip, Jax, Troy, were the ones on the bridge. Stein went to the medbay to review the file on Savage, Mick, Snart, and Ray were attending to business elsewhere in the ship, and Sara and Kendra were in the cargo bay. _"Captain, we've just crossed into Soviet airspace." _Gideon announced.

Jax was hovering by the central console, which was now displaying a radar. "Don't worry, Jefferson," Rip began as he came over to relieve the young African American man of his worries of the ship being detected, "we are moving far too fast for anyone to track us."

He spoke too soon. _"I'm afraid that's not true. Someone is tracking us." _Gideon alerted.

"I thought the ship was cloaked?" Rip said as he moved around the console.

"_It is." _Gideon confirmed.

On the radar, an orange blip was closing in on the Waverider, and said blip was simply labeled 'CH'. Everyone then realized who their pursuer was. "Boba Fett's back." Jax was the first to voice it.

"Chronos must have followed us when we made the jump from the seventies." Rip added.

"_**Told you we should've bit Tin Can's head off!" **_Chaos exclaimed loudly, earning an eye roll from his host.

* * *

_**Chronos' Ship**_

Chronos was a patient hunter. He may have lost track of Rip and his crew when he assaulted the Waverider in St. Roch, but he knew at some point, they would time jump again, and he would be ready to tail after them. Also, this hunt became personal as well. He will enjoy making that beast regret what he did to him. No one gets the better of Chronos and lives to tell the tale.

"_Sir, we have a lock on the Waverider." _The ship's AI, Locus, informed as the weapon systems came online.

"Prepare to fire." Chronos commanded.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

"_He's closing fast." _Gideon warned as Rip typed into the control pad on the captain's seat. _"Captain, what would you like me to do?"_

"Slow down, drop our cloak, and make as much noise as possible." Rip ordered.

"What?" Troy demanded, thinking he had misheard.

"_**You didn't." **_Chaos said, equally as alarmed as his host.

Jax was on the same page. "Whoa, that's, like, top three on the list of things we definitely shouldn't do." He said.

"Just trust me." Rip assured both men. He knew exactly what he was doing.

The Waverider's cloaking device could be heard disengaging, as well as the engine powering down. At the same time, Ray and Snart entered the bridge. "We run out of gas or something?" Snart asked as they approached the others.

"_Chronos is still in pursuit. Weapons systems tracking." _Gideon warned.

"Look," Jax began, "if this is your idea of trying to lose him, then, m-"

"Aha." Rip cut him off as he walked over to the central console, just in time to see a third blip appeared on the radar, a red one labeled 'MiG'. "The Soviet Air Force to the rescue. Now, let's see how badly Chronos wants to follow us."

Ray walked over to the pilot windows just in time to see a Russian aircraft zoom by, and he recognized the design of it. "Wow, it's a MiG-21." He stated in awe, a matching gleam in his eyes. "No one's ever been this close to one before."

"Are you quoting _Top Gun_?" Snart asked, though it wasn't really a question.

"Maybe." Ray answered without looking at Snart.

"Yes he is." Troy quipped.

Far off in the distance, the MiG turned sharply to face the Waverider, releasing its payload before breaking off in retreat. _"I've got heat-seeking missiles closing at a distance of less than a mile away." _Gideon alerted.

"Doesn't this thing have counter-measures?!" Troy demanded.

"Which is why I need you to cut the engines." Rip commanded Gideon, as if he didn't hear Troy, which earned the captain a sharp look from the host.

"Whoa, wait, don't we need those to land?" Jax asked.

"I said cut them, Gideon." Rip ordered, his voice more firm this time.

Just seconds later, everyone swayed on their feet as the Waverider began to plummet, and the missiles passed over the vessel. _"Missiles are now targeting something else." _Gideon informed.

"Chronos." Jax put two and two together.

"_Huh, cutting the engines to eliminate the heat and target our pursuer instead. Clever." _Troy remarked.

"_**Indeed." **_Chaos hummed in agreement.

Rip watched as Chronos' blip disappeared off the radar, signaling that the MiG's missiles had hit the bounty hunter's ship, before rushing over to the captain's seat. "I suggest you all strap yourselves in." He urgently advised. They didn't need to be told twice. Jax, Ray, Troy, and Snart quickly claimed a jumpseat and pulled down the harnesses. "It's going to be a bit of a bumpy landing."

"_Initiating emergency landing protocol." _Gideon announced as the other occupants braced themselves.

"How's it going, Gideon?" Rip asked as the ship continued to plummet closer and closer to the ground.

"_There's not much I can do." _The AI replied. _"Elevation is five thousand, four thousand, three thousand." _

"When I said bumpy, I meant 'prepare for crash landing." Rip amended his earlier sentence.

"Kinda had that figured out already." Troy replied dryly as he braced himself.

Just mere seconds later, the ship crashed into the ground, leaving a wide trail of destroyed soil in its wake. Were it not for the metallic harnesses, everyone would have been thrown out of their seats. Then, finally, the ship came to a stop before the cloaking device was activated. _"Good news, Captain. Despite our rough landing, the ship is still fully operational." _Gideon briefed as Rip lifted his helm up in a daze.

"Welcome to the U.S.S.R., gentlemen." He said to those present on the bridge as his seat rotated.

Everyone's harnesses came off. While, Ray, Jax, and Snart still felt a little pain from the rough landing, Troy was already at one hundred percent, curtesy of Chaos' healing abilities. Stein then entered the bridge with the file on Savage. "If it were up to me, they would revoke your pilot's license." The professor said to Rip.

"'They' are more than welcome to, considering I don't have one." Rip massaged his temples before standing up and went over to join Stein at the central console. "Did you get anything on Savage from the Pentagon file?"

"It appears our friend has been quite busy since we last saw him." Stein noted as he opened the file, and it was impossible to miss the large black bold words 'Operation Svarog'.

"Svarog?" Rip stated in confusion.

"Slavic god of fire." Troy enlightened the captain, well versed in many ancient mythologies.

"It's a secret project the Soviets are working on." Stein added as Ray flipped through the pages. "Considering Savage's involvement, most likely some sort of weapon."

Ray stopped on the page containing two pictures of an attractive Russian woman. "Valentina Vostok," he read as he walked around the central console, "graduated top of her physics program and then just dropped out of academia."

"To help develop Savage's new weapon, no doubt." Stein added.

"The Cold War's up for grabs, and Ms. Vostok is the linchpin." Ray commented.

Rip took the file from Ray as Snart stood up from his jumpseat. "I say we put two in the back of her head and call it a day." The cold gun wielder suggested.

Ray wasn't on board with the idea of just murdering someone. "We have no idea who this woman is or what her effect may be on history." He countered. "She may be the next Madame Curie for all we know."

"She's working for Savage. That's all we need to know." Snart japed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"She probably has no idea who's backing her research." Ray shot back.

"That's a naïve way of thinking, Ray." Troy stated, drawing the man's attention. "If Vostok's in that file, she's there for a reason. Yes, you could be right about her being oblivious of who's funding her research, but at the same time, the possibility of her knowing exactly who she's working for is just as likely."

"Okay, but just let me approach her as a scientist and we'll see what she knows about Savage's weapons program." Ray said, wanting to try a more diplomatic method before either Snart or Troy decide to use less civil methods.

"It's nineteen eighty six, you're American, and you don't speak Russian. She'll have you pegged as a spy in a second." Snart pointed out. Ray was silent, unable to reply to that because he knew Snart was right.

"Perhaps I can help with that." Rip said as he placed a small black case on the central console. He pressed a button and unlocked the case before opening it, revealing small green capsules stored within. "Ingestible translators." He said as he slid the box across the console. "They attach to your larynx via neural interface. Swallow them; you can speak and understand any language spoken to you."

Ray and Snart took two of the capsules and swallowed them. "How- how do you turn it on?" Stein queried, since these devices didn't have an off and on button.

"Gideon?" Rip looked at the ceiling. "Switch them into Russian." He ordered before directing his gaze at Ray, who gulped his capsule, and he gave the captain a look. "Go on. Say something."

Ray scoffed. _"I don't know what to say." _He spoke in flawless Russian. Stein, Jax, and Troy gaped at Ray, eyes widening. _"Wait, I'm still speaking English." _However, he then noticed the stunned looks the others were giving him. _"Why are you staring at me…?" _Rip smirked and pointed at him, and Ray knew. _"Oh my goodness! I'm speaking Russian now, aren't I?" _He and Stein exchanged smiles.

"Now you're annoying in multiple languages." Snart remarked rudely, causing Ray to frown.

"Gideon, switch him back to English." Rip decreed before bringing the attention to the more important topic, reading through the file. "Now, according to Vostok's file, she's a big fan of the ballet. She has box seats at the Bolshoi and attends every performance."

"_It seems the final performance of Le Roi Candaule is today." _Gideon informed as a picture of a woman dancing appeared on the screen.

"Dr. Palmer," Rip started as he handed the man in question the file, "you will engage Vostok at ballet, whilst you, Mr. Snart…" The captain turned his gaze to the cold gun wielder, "you're going to be his wingman."

"Oy." Snart mumbled sarcastically.

"_**Well, that should be interesting." **_Chaos mused with a chuckle, envisioning that scenario.

"_No kidding." _Troy agreed, equally amused as the Klyntar.

"Better go bone up on Vostok's CV." Ray said before walking off, exiting the bridge.

"I guess I'll bone up on the ballet. Gideon, bone me." Snart said.

"Well, since our services aren't needed at the moment, I'll be in the galley." Troy informed before walking off to get something to eat.

"_**Good, because your liver was starting to look really, really good." **_Chaos hissed, and Troy could feel the symbiote's tongue at the back of his mind.

"_Do that, and you'll sentence yourself to death."_

"_**And I have no intention of dying."**_

Meanwhile, Rip was walking the corridors alone when Sara suddenly emerged from one of the rooms. "We have a problem." She said as she joined the captain.

Yet another problem added to the list. "Right, you're going to have to be a little more specific." Rip clarified.

"It's Kendra." Sara said as they rounded a corner. "She's completely unstable; you saw her at the Pentagon. Psycho priestess Chay-Ara took over and clawed a guard's eyes out."

"Perhaps Kendra just needs a bit of time." Rip replied as they stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Remember, it was her first time out in the field since Carter's death."

He began to walk away, but Sara's next words made him halt. "Well, Carter's not going to be the only dead body on our hands if someone doesn't get her under control."

The captain considered her words. Yes, Kendra does need help, and he knew who the perfect candidate was. "You know, perhaps you're right," he conceded before turning around, "and it just so happens I have the perfect candidate for the job." He added as he walked toward Sara.

Instant disapproval radiated off every inch of the former assassin. "No." She shook her head firmly. "No, I was not talking about me."

"And yet, I can think of no one better suited to the task." Rip countered.

"I'm not a fan of feelings." Sara shot back. "If Kendra needs someone to talk through her grief with-"

"Kendra needs someone who can help her get her warrior side under control." Rip interrupted. "I imagine you, above anyone else, know how to do that." With that, Rip walked off and rounded a corner.

"This is a bad idea." Sara called out. Two people who are having trouble with their inner darkness training together? Sara saw so many things wrong with that.

* * *

_**Moscow, Russia**_

_**Bolshoi Theater**_

The Bolshoi Theater is one of the oldest theaters in Russia. Construction started in eighteen twenty one, and the theater opened in eighteen twenty five. It is also one of the most popular theaters, and tonight was exceptionally good for business.

People gathered at the entrance, dressed in jackets and coats to shield themselves from the bitter cold. Guards were also stationed there and there, ready to deal with a problem at a moment's notice, all while upbeat instrumental music played from within the building. Valentina Vostok walked out of the theater, wearing a lovely red dress, taking out a cigarette before turning left. She passed by Snart, who was standing in a corner, wearing a black coat. "I got eyes on Vostok. She's headed straight for you, lover boy." He informed Ray over the com channel.

"_All right, gentlemen." _Rip said over the com channel. _"Everything's looking good from my end. Proceed."_

Ray took that as his cue. He turned around just in time to see Valentina coming toward him. "Ms. Vostok." He said, drawing the woman's attention as she lifted her hand with the cigarette. "Simon Huntsberger, University of Moscow physics department." He took out a lighter and the flame came alive.

Valentina responded by huffing out air and snuffing the flame out. "I'm not interested in talking to student." She informed harshly as Ray lowered the lighter. "If you want lecture, come by office hours."

She was about to walk away, but Ray spoke again. "I'm actually a fellow scientist. I read your paper on applied physics and nuclear fission. Perhaps, if you allow me to take you to dinner, we can discuss in detail."

Valentina merely rolled her eyes and walked off toward the theater entrance without another word, leaving a dumbfounded Ray behind. "Damn that was cold," Snart commented as he walked over to Ray, amusement lining his face, "even by Russian standards." Both men looked in the direction Valentina walked off, both of them figuring out ways to try again with more success.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Kendra was sitting on a crate in the cargo bay alone, lost in her thoughts. The face of the guard she mauled at the Pentagon was still fresh in her mind. It terrified her that she lost control and nearly compromised a mission. She had always thought that Carter could help her with her new powers, but now that he's gone, she feels utterly helpless.

"Heads up." A voice snapped Kendra out of her thoughts.

She spun on the crate and barely caught a long sliver baton that Sara tossed her. "What the hell is this?" Kendra asked in confusion.

"Warriors train every day." Sara explained.

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood." Kendra said as she placed the baton aside.

"'Sorry' is not gonna help that guard you defaced at the Pentagon." Sara retorted as she approached Kendra.

Kendra shook her head as she hopped off the crate. "I thought that as long as Carter was here, he could help me control my powers and now that he's gone… I can't control it, so thanks for the offer," she picked up the baton and gave it back to Sara, "but I won't risk letting that monster out again." She walked passed Sara and made way for the stair case.

"That monster inside you is not gonna go away." Sara said before turning around, and Kendra stopped to face her. "You have to learn how to control her."

"And how, exactly, do you expect me to do that?" Kendra demanded incredulously.

Sara tossed the baton to Kendra, and she caught it again. "Let's find out."

Without warning, Sara lunged forward and swung her baton. Kendra brought up her baton to block Sara swing, and the sounds of grunting and metal clanging filled the cargo bay.

Meanwhile in the bridge, Rip was waiting for an update from Ray and Snart when Gideon suddenly announced, _"Temporal anomaly detected." _

Rip rushed out of his study and over to the central console, which was displaying a red dot north of Moscow. "Chronos." He stated.

"_The Russian jet damaged his ship." _Gideon informed.

"He's still alive?" Rip queried.

"_He went down just outside Moscow city limits." _

Rip knew this was the perfect chance to take out Chronos, especially if he was injured in the crash. Chronos wouldn't be the last the Time Masters send after Rip and his crew, but this will get them off their backs for a while.

And as luck would have it, Mick entered the bridge. "Mr. Rory, how would you like to accompany me on a little mission?" Rip asked, laser revolver in hand.

The arsonist pulled out his flamethrower. "Will I get to use my gun?" He inquired.

"A near certain likely hood." Rip confirmed.

"Lead the way, Captain." Mick nodded. With that, the two departed for their mission to eliminate one of the most infamous temporal bounty hunters.

* * *

_**Moscow, Russia**_

_**Bolshoi Theater**_

Ray eyed Valentina, having devised a 'new' way of trying to get information out of her. _"You struck out, Raymond." _Snart said over the com channel. _"Maybe I should take a crack at her." _

Ray ignored him and approached Valentina. "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot." He said, and Valentina didn't bother to look at him. "I don't mean to bother you-"

"Too late." Valentina replied with a cynical chuckle.

"But," Ray went on, "as an investor, I'm in a position to fund your research. That is why I wanted us to meet."

"_Easy, Raymond. You're gonna spook her." _Snart warned. He almost wished Troy was here instead of Raymond, since Snart was sure that Troy could do better in talking to Valentina without arousing suspicion.

"I think it's important to know who's funding your research," Ray went on, and Snart could feel his heart beating faster. Raymond was about to blow their cover. "Don't you think? For instance… Operation Svarog."

_That _had Valentina's attention, and she stared at Ray in suspicion. Snart knew now was the time to intervene before Raymond could screw this up even more. "Sorry," he said to Valentina as he came over, "is this man bothering you?"

"Don't trouble yourself." Valentina replied as she and Snart walked passed Ray. "I'm not a damsel in distress."

"Good," Snart said as he stood in front of Valentina, "because I'm not a white knight."

The sound of bells chiming could be heard. "Seems intermission is over." Valentina noted.

"You wouldn't want to miss Queen Nisisa dancing naked with the nymphs." Snart said.

Valentina smiled. "My favorite part of the ballet, but I've seen it so many times. Perhaps, you wouldn't mind walking me home instead." Snart gestured to the path ahead and the two began the walk back to Valentina's apartment. Snart cast Ray a glance over his shoulder, and Ray stared back at him in annoyance.

* * *

_**The Forest**_

It was cold, cold enough for Rip and Mick to see their breath when they exhale. But that didn't stop them from trekking throughout the forest in search of their target. The only sounds they could hear currently were the soft whirring of Mick's flamethrower, crickets chirping, and the chorus of howling wolves in the distance.

"I hate nature." Mick proclaimed.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh." Rip hushed him as he checked a device before pocketing it. "Thirty meters." He said as they neared the temporal anomaly's coordinates. "Chronos must be hiding out in the trees."

Their eyes scoured their surroundings, searching for any sign of movement, a foreboding pressure in the air. "Is that any way to treat an old friend?" A voice asked.

Mick snapped his flamethrower in the direction the voice came from, but Rip recognized the voice and grabbed the arsonist's arm, forcing him to point his weapon downward. The two watched as a man dressed grey clothing step out in the open. "Time Master Druce," Rip breathed, surprised to his one of his oldest friends and his former mentor here, "how on earth did you find me?"

"You haven't exactly been subtle." Druce replied as he approached the duo, and Rip had to agree with that.

"Can I waste this guy?" Mick asked Rip, eyeing Druce with anticipation.

"Could you give us a moment?" Rip requested.

"You said I'd get to use my gun." Mick growled in response. Rip merely gave him a look. "Hmm." The arsonist grunted before walking off, leaving Rip and Druce alone.

"What a colorful team you've assembled for yourself." Druce noted.

Rip holstered his revolver before speaking, "I thought that you were-"

"Chronos?" Druce supplied. "He was killed in the crash, I'm afraid." The older Time Master went on as he approached his former student. The loss of Chronos was unfortunate, but he was merely an asset. An effective asset, yes, but assets can be replaced. "I was sent to scuttle his time ship, lest it be discovered by the Soviets." He finished.

"And you left a temporal anomaly." Rip stated.

"To lure you out of the cold, as it were." Druce confirmed. "You've turned your back on the very institution you were meant to serve. Our job is to protect time, thereby protecting all life."

"I am trying to save the world from complete destruction." Rip retorted as he walked passed Druce, who followed him.

"You and your band of rogues have run rampant throughout history." Druce pressed on. "This is why we work alone, Rip. A team is a liability; you've proven that. They keep you from making the tough choices."

Rip moved to stand in front of his former mentor. "I am here because the council refused to make that tough choice." He is here to take action because the council chose to sit down and do nothing while the world is conquered by an immortal madman.

"Well, they can sometimes be slow to realize the obvious," Druce conceded before getting to the point of the meeting, "but I've been authorized to offer you a deal." Rip scoffed, but allowed Druce to continue speaking. "End this foolish crusade; return with me to the Vanishing Point. You'll be acquitted of all charges, and in… a few hundred years, we may even be able to fix the damage you've caused."

"And what about my team?" Rip asked.

"They will be returned to their own timelines unharmed, which is more than I can say for Carter Hall." Druce replied. "You were one of my brightest pupils and by far my favorite. Will you at least consider my offer?"

Rip was silent for a few seconds. "I'll consult with my comrades." He uttered.

"Please do, Rip, and meet me here in an hour." With his purpose his being fulfilled, Druce walked off.

"And if I don't?" Rip asked.

The question made Druce stop in his tracks, and he turned around to face his former pupil. "Then you're beyond my help." He answered gravely before walking off again.

Rip remained cemented in place, contemplating the offer. If he accepts, Miranda and Jonas will still be killed by Savage. But here was not the place to contemplate. As he said to Druce, he will have to discuss this with his crew.

And so, Rip walked off, but stopped when he spotted Mick sitting down against a tree. "That's a pretty sweet deal Time Cop offered you back there." The arsonist commented, having heard the entire conversation.

"Well, I see we can add eavesdropping to your criminal resume." Rip remarked.

"Maybe you should start thinking like a crook." Mick retorted. "Your friend's planning on killing you."

"Time Master Druce is one of my most trusted friends." Rip countered. "Besides, if he wanted to do me any harm, why didn't he do it just now when he had the chance?"

"Because he wants you to bring the whole team with you," Mick replied as he stood up, "and that's not gonna happen, because I'm taking a pass." He then walked passed the captain.

Rip remained cemented in place again, thinking of the pyro's words. As much as he tried to put it aside, one question burned in Rip's mind; is Druce truly setting him up?

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Kendra and Sara were still sparring, but the cargo bay no longer served as the arena. They were now in the hallways. Kendra brought up her staff to block Sara's swift downward swing, but the former assassin wasted no time in making another move, pinning Kendra against the wall. With a yell, Kendra pushed Sara off and swung. Sara ducked under and hit Kendra in the back. Kendra then swung her staff downward, but Sara parried the blow before knocking Kendra's staff out of her hand. Now unarmed, Kendra swung her fist, but Sara merely tossed Kendra over her shoulder, and the latter landed on the floor roughly. Sara twirled her staff so the upper part was underneath her armpit.

"Are we done here yet?" Kendra asked in annoyance, feeling her entire body aching.

"If you want to harness your power," Sara began as Kendra stood up, "you need to learn to control your fear."

"Yeah, well, you've been training for half your life to be some cold blooded assassin, so I really don't think you understand what it's like." Kendra shot back.

Sara tossed her staff aside and roughly pushed Kendra down the hall. "Before you can control it," she threw two hooks, which Kendra barely blocked, and Sara grabbed her by the shirt, "you have to accept that it's a part of you." She shoved Kendra again and kicked her in the side of her left shoulder, causing her to collide with the wall.

"Ease up, will you?" Kendra requested as she backed away from Sara.

But Sara showed no signs of easing up. "You've got to channel your anger." She hit Kendra twice before pinning her against the wall.

"Sara, stop." Kendra pleaded, gripping the hand that was wrapped around her throat.

"Push down your emotions." Sara went on, ignoring the other woman's plea. She wrenched Kendra away from the wall before brutally slugging her across the face. "Focus on your opponent." She spun around and kicked Kendra in the stomach.

She slid backwards on her shoes, causing them to squeak loudly. Then suddenly, Kendra's wings sprouted out, and her eyes glowed, just like at the Pentagon. "Kendra?" Sara said. Kendra responded by rushing forward with a yell. Sara found herself on the defensive, evading to avoid Kendra's swipes. Kendra shot upward and used both feet to kick Sara in the chest, sending her flying up the hall and crashed to the floor.

Kendra's senses returned and her wings retracted back into her as she rushed over to Sara's aid. "Sara! Sara, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry-"

But Sara lurched up and tackled Kendra onto her back and began to choke her. "Sara, what are you doing? It's me!" Kendra exclaimed as she felt the air flow cut out, gasping for air. A wild, almost feral gleam took residence in Sara's eyes, her teeth bared in a silent snarl. She slammed Kendra's head against the floor.

But suddenly, Sara felt two strong hands grip her shoulders from behind. "Enough! That's enough!" Troy shouted loudly as he forced Sara away from Kendra, standing between the two women.

Sara took a step forward, as if she was about to attack Troy, when she suddenly stop. Troy knew her senses had returned. She stared at him, eyes gleaming with panic and regret. Without another word, Sara turned and fled down the corridor. Troy's concerned gaze lingered in her direction before he turned around. "You okay?" He asked Kendra, offering a helpful hand.

Kendra accepted the hand, and Troy helped her back onto her feet. "Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, massaging her throat.

"The hell were you two fighting about?" Troy questioned.

"We were sparring, and we both lost control." Kendra answered.

Troy studied Kendra for a few moments before redirecting his attention to where Sara had fled. _**"Seems like we need to do a better job at keeping Sara in check." **_Chaos noted dryly.

"_Yeah. Laurel, Quentin, and Oliver will kill us if we let anything happen to Sara." _Troy added, and Chaos shuddered at the thought of the aforementioned people's furious and hateful expressions.

* * *

_**Moscow, Russia**_

Snart and Valentina walked arm in arm through a small park located between the Bolshoi Theater and Valentina's apartment, the latter now wearing the former's coat. "Are you sure you don't want your coat back?" Valentina asked Snart "I can't believe how you're not freezing."

"Oh, I love the cold." Snart replied, since his criminal nickname was Captain Cold and he wields a weapon that shoots a subzero beam.

"And ballet." Valentina added.

"So what is it about the ballet that you love, Valentina?" Snart queried.

"The combination of grace and strength, pushing the body to its breaking point. It's a thing of beauty." Valentina explained before spotting her home. "My apartment." She moved to stand in front of Snart. "You know, this time of night, it's colder than a Siberian winter."

"Sounds perfect." Snart commented.

"You know, I'm sure we could heat it up." Valentina said, eyes gleaming seductively.

"Sadly, I have business elsewhere this evening." Snart politely declined the invite to her bed.

"Well…" Valentina started as she took off Snart's coat and handed it back to him. "If this is goodbye…" She leaned in and kissed him. The gesture lingered for a few seconds before Valentina took the umbrella from Snart, smiling seductively before walking off.

Snart made sure she was far enough before saying with a glance over his shoulder, "You enjoy the show, Raymond?" He knew he was following them.

Ray emerged from behind a hammer and sickle monument, hands in his pocket and visibly shivering from the cold. "I think I've got frostbite in some not-so-fun places from waiting out here." He said, shivering more. "Did she tell you what kind of weapon Savage is building?"

Snart turned to face Ray. "Didn't come up." He replied. "Such a romantic evening; I didn't want to spoil the mood."

"So other than a steamy good night kiss and a possible case of hypothermia, we've got nothing." Ray deduced.

"I wouldn't say that." Snart said before digging into his pocket and pulled out a badge. "It's Valentina's security badge for a placed called Luskavic Labs." Ray took the badge to get a better look. "Whatever weapon she's building for Savage, we'll find it there."

"Huh, guess this wasn't a total bust after all." Ray remarked. Snart then pulled out Valentina's wallet. "Really, we're trying to save the world and you're lifting wallets?"

"It's called multitasking." Snart replied casually as he looked the wallet over.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Rip, Stein, Jax, and Troy had gathered in the study to discuss the deal Druce offered. Rip removed a lid off a crystal jar and poured himself a glass of alcohol. "So, uh, what happens?" Jax asked the captain. "You hand over the ship and turn yourself in to the Time Masters and the rest of us just-"

"Will be returned to your former lives in January twenty sixteen." Rip interrupted before turning around to face those in the room. "It will be as if you never left."

"Aside from the fact that Starling City might be part of the U.S.S.R., thanks to our efforts." Stein commented from his spot on one of the chairs. Troy grimaced at the thought of that.

"All the more reason to consider the offer." Rip said. "The Time Council will do everything within their power to correct the mistakes that we've made."

"But they still haven't changed their mind about stopping Savage?" Jax stated.

"Well, according to them, he's part of the natural course of history," Rip replied, "terrible as that course may be. Look, I'm not saying that this offer is without its downsides. If we abandon our plan now, then I still lose my wife and son."

"So why throw in the towel?" Jax asked. "I thought you said this mission was bigger than any one of us." He reminded.

"Yes, but if you'll remember, when I first recruited you, I wasn't entirely forthright about my motivations or about how… dangerous this mission would be." Rip admitted, referring to Carter's death.

A somber pressure filled the air as everyone realized their captain was referring to their fallen comrade. "You can't keep blaming yourself for Carter's death, Captain." Troy proclaimed, having been silent up until now. "He knew better than anyone what he was in for when he stepped onto this ship."

"Hmm." Rip hummed. "Well, for the rest of you, it's now the time to decide whether the future is worth fighting for." He told them before taking sip of his drink while the others considered.

"_**So, are we really just gonna lay down and roll over?" **_Chaos asked his host. _**"Let the world be conquered by an immortal sociopath?"**_

"_What do you think?"_

* * *

_**The Forest**_

Rip walked through the forest alone, heading for the coordinates Druce had provided. "I cannot tell you how I pleased I am to see you, Hunter." The man himself said as he came out into the open.

Rip sighed. "I finally came to my senses." He confessed as he turned around to face his former mentor. "You were right, as always. I've risked the lives of my team; I've endangered the very fabric of time itself. I only hope you can forgive me."

"All will soon be made right again." Druce assured him.

Rip nodded, but then froze upon hearing the sound of an all too familiar rifle powering up. "Hello, old friend." Chronos greeted, his rifle trained at Rip's head. He wasn't as dead as Druce claimed to be. Rip could practically feel the bounty hunter's smirk.

"I'm so sorry it had to turn out this way," Druce stated, truly apologetic, "but the council cannot risk keeping you alive."

Rip sighed, his head casted upward to the night sky. "Such a shame. I won't be able to tell Mick he was right."

"Mick?" Druce parroted in confusion.

"My colorful friend, who was convinced you were planning on killing me." Rip explained.

"Your friends seem to have abandoned you," Druce noted, eyes roaming the forest, "but no matter. Chronos will track them down." He began to walk away.

"Can't believe you brought this stooge to do your dirty work." Rip remarked, causing Druce to look at him. "I never had you pegged as a coward, Druce."

"In that case, I promise to stay here to ensure that your punishment is carried out properly." Druce promised. "I wouldn't want you to die alone."

"Who says I'm alone?" Rip asked rhetorically, and alarm began to pulse through Druce.

A ferocious and bellowing roar erupted throughout the forest, shattering the silence. Rip rolled out of the way just when a hulking black blur rammed into Chronos. Mick emerged out of the bushes and fired his flamethrower, aiming to incinerate Druce. But the Time Master used a teleportation device and vanished, the flames hitting nothing. "What a wuss." Mick said.

Chronos skidded across the grassy ground before coming to a halt. **"Round two, Tin Can?" **Chaos sneered as his right hand morphed into a ball before it dropped to the ground, sharp spikes popping out of it. With a snarl, Chaos leapt into the air and brought his mace down, but Chronos moved out of the way before he could be impaled. Chaos retracted his weapon, only to re-morph his hand into an axe.

But Chronos was prepared for the Klyntar this time. He pulled out a pistol from his leg and fired. The projectile found its mark, and Chaos roared in absolute pain as electricity began to violently ripple throughout his entire body. Seizing the opportunity, Chronos holstered his pistol and re-aimed his rifle at the roaring Klyntar, who was now on all fours…

Only for a fireball to collide with the bounty hunter, sending him flying. Firestorm landed on the ground as the electricity surging through Chaos wore off, and the symbiote took its chance to retract back into Troy, who was panting heavily. Seeing this, Rip rushed over and assisted Troy in getting to cover.

"_Chaos, you ok?" _Troy asked the symbiote in concern.

"_**One to one, the score's tied." **_Chaos replied, and Troy actually chuckled.

"_Glad to see your sense of humor's still intact." _The host remarked.

Chronos took cover behind a tree and fired at his enemies. One of the bolts nearly hit Jax, who yelped and took cover behind his own tree. _"This is not the time to show off." _Stein scolded. _"It's best if we attack from a covered position."_

Jax wasn't onboard with the idea. "I'm through playing it safe." He declared. "This time, we do things my way."

He jumped out from behind the tree and tossed a fireball. But Chronos had tossed a grenade at the same time and it detonated in front of Jax, sending him flying back. The fireball struck Chronos in the chest and slammed into a tree with a loud metallic clang. Mick fired his flamethrower and Chronos retreated into the forest, disappearing among the shrubs. "Run, punk! Run!" The arsonist called out tauntingly.

"Jefferson!" Stein yelled out in worry as he emerged out into the open. "Where is he? Chronos' blast forced us to separate. I-I didn't see where he landed."

"Jax?!" Troy called out, his eyes roaming around in search for their teammate.

"Jefferson!" Rip shouted as well.

"All right," Mick, Troy, Stein, and Rip whipped their heads to see Jax stumbling towards them, "no need to shout. I'm right here."

"There you are; thank God you're okay. Why didn't you answer when I called you? Did it not occur to you that I'd be worried?!" Stein ranted.

"Look, I just got a little…" Jax trailed off as he felt himself drift off, "lost."

He collapsed, but Mick caught him and lowered him to the ground. "We need to get him to the med bay now." Rip said urgently as blood began to stain Jax's shirt.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

When Rip entered the bridge, he found that Ray and Snart were already there. "Oh, gentlemen. I trust that everything went according to plan at the Bolshoi?" The captain aske them, hoping for good news.

"Piece of cake." Ray quipped. "Made contact with Vostok and swiped her badge."

"Thanks to me." Snart cut in, since he did all the work, while Raymond nearly compromised it. "Pretty boy just froze his ass off."

Footsteps and heavy breathing drew Snart and Ray's attention to the door Rip used to enter the bridge, watching as Troy, Stein, and Mick walked in, the arsonist assisting a wounded Jax. "What happened to him?" Ray asked.

"Chronos." Rip answered.

"Jax here was-" Mick began, but Stein interrupted.

"Almost got himself killed." The professor stated. Jax shot him a brief glare, and the air was slowly becoming thick with tension.

"And we need to get you to the med bay." Rip said as he began to assist Jax in walking while Troy went over and stood by Ray.

"Ah, the med bay," Mick preened as he walked off, Snart following him, "where a morphine drip awaits me."

"Now just try and take it slowly." Rip advised Jax, who simply nodded.

"Don't bother telling him what to do; he'll just do the opposite." Stein said.

Finally fed up, Jax turned to face him, removing his arm from around Rip's neck. "Oh, yeah, it would be my fault that I got hurt, because I didn't listen to you and your infinite wisdom. I am sorry, professor." Rip, Ray, and Troy watched the exchange, the Star City natives exchanging glances.

"Exactly." Stein replied. "It seems this… partnership of ours has become untenable."

"Partnership?" Jax repeated in disbelief. "No, this is a dictatorship, one in which you get to call all the shots, and I get to take all the shots."

"Do you think I like seeing you hurt?" Stein asked.

"Don't act like you actually care about me, man. I'm just a life-support system. I didn't even want to come on this stupid trip. You kidnapped me."

"Oh, this old tune."

"Did you ever stop to think that I actually had a life back in two thousand sixteen?"

"I almost forgot; a promising career as an auto mechanic."

"I had a mom," Emotion began to creep into Jax's voice, "a widow. What happens to her if something happens to me nineteen eighty six? Huh? She's just gonna think that I left her without even saying good-bye. Man, do you have an idea what that does to her?"

"We've all made sacrifices!" Stein raised his voice. "But can't you see that this mission, stopping Savage, is bigger than any one of us?"

"I am so sick of you using that tone. When are you gonna learn you are _not_ my father?!"

"I'm sorry that you lost him at such a tender age," Stein really wished he wouldn't have to say his next words, but all other options have been exhausted, "but if your father were here, right now, he'd be saying what I'm saying. Just grow up, Jefferson. The future of the world is at stake, and if you insist on getting yourself killed, as terrible as that might be for your mother, or me, who, incidentally would also die, I am more concerned with the billions of people who will die because of your… arrogant adolescent ego!"

"_**Ouch." **_Chaos winced at the professor's harsh words, and Troy mentally agreed.

Hurt and anger were plastered on Jax's face as he glared at the professor, feeling the words stinging. "Okay." He murmured angrily before storming out the bridge.

Rip shot Stein a disapproving look before following after Jax. The professor sighed, regret washing over him as he unknowingly stepped closer to Ray and Troy. "Please don't- don't- don't say it." He requested to the Star City natives. "I was cruel and unjustified, and I- I said those things just for the sake of hurting him."

"Why are you telling us that?" Troy questioned, gesturing to himself and Ray. "You should be saying that to Jax, not us." He pointed out.

"I had to hurt him, Mr. Winter; it's the only way I can get through to him." Stein explained. "I've tried everything else."

"Well, he's just a kid." Ray argued.

"So was Ronald, and look what happened to him." Stein countered, a somber gleam in his eyes.

Ray and Troy knew exactly who the older man was referring to. "Your former half of Firestorm." Ray said.

"Yes." Stein murmured sadly. "I can't- I- I can't go through this again. I can't lose another. The reason I'm constantly lecturing Jefferson is because I'm the one who brought him along, and if something happens, I'm the one who has go back to two thousand sixteen and tell his mother that her little boy is never coming, and I would rather die than do that." He couldn't fail Jefferson, like he failed Ronald and Caitlin.

With nothing more to say, Stein left the bridge. _**"I know Stein doesn't want to lose Jax, but those were still some harsh words." **_Chaos commented.

"_Well, Chaos, sometimes harsh and brutal honesty is what some people have to use to get through to someone. We've handed out those ourselves quite a bit." _Troy explained, and the symbiote hummed.

At the same time, Rip was walking the hallways alone after he made sure Jax made it to the med bay safely, when he came across Kendra, who was rubbing her arm. "That looks sore. What happened?" He asked, though he had an idea.

"Maybe you should ask the lunatic you put in charge of training me." Kendra answered dryly as they walked down the hall.

Rip glanced back briefly. "I… actually, I was hoping that the arrangement between you and Sara might be, uh… mutually beneficial."

Kendra turned to face him. "You mean you knew about this… bloodlust thing?" She asked.

"It's the captain's job to know everything on his ship." Rip replied. Kendra sighed in disbelief. "Look, Sara went through hell when she was resurrected, and I was hoping that'd you be able to… coax out her human side form the darkness of the Lazarus Pit."

"Why me?" Kendra inquired. "Why not Troy? He knows Sara better than me."

"Well, that's true, but, after four thousand years of reincarnation, surely you know a thing or two about rebirth." Rip replied before walking past Kendra and back toward the bridge.

Sara was in the cargo bay, sharpening her fifth knife, running the whetstone over the blade, emitting a loud grating sound. "Heads up." She whirled and caught the staff Kendra tossed… only to place it aside and went back to sharpening her knife.

Kendra was briefly dumbfounded. "Let's go." The reply she received was the sound of the whetstone running across the blade. "'A warrior trains everyday', remember?" She recited Sara's earlier words as she moved around.

"I'm not a warrior," Sara refused to make eye contact with Kendra, "and I tried to kill you the last time we did this, remember? I probably would have if Troy didn't step in."

"'Tried' being the operative word." Kendra replied as she move to stand in front of the crate Sara was using to sharpen her knives. "Look, you want to know my theory?"

"No." Sara said.

But Kendra went on anyway. "I think your problem is the opposite of mine." She started. "I need to learn to embrace my inner hawk goddess, but you—you need to learn to embrace your human side."

"And what if that side of me is gone?" Sara retorted, since that was the reason she left Star City shortly after Team Green Arrow rescued Ray from Darhk. "What if she doesn't exist anymore?"

"Well," Kendra began as she moved around the crate, "only one way to find out."

"What, are you baiting me?" Sara asked, still sharpening the same knife.

"No, I'm training you." Kendra countered as she moved over by the staircase. "Come on." She insisted as she twirled her staff. "Are you scared?"

That did it. Sara smirked briefly before grabbing her staff and the sounds of metal clanging once again bounced off the cargo bay walls.

Meanwhile in the bridge, Rip lifted the harness up and hopped off the captain's chair before walking over to the central console as Stein entered the bridge. "Here we are," the captain announced, "Luskavic Labs, the secret facility Vostok works."

"So what's the plan?" Stein inquired.

"Simple." Rip started as schematics of the lab's interior were displayed on the console. "We use Vostok's credentials to enter the lab and find out what she's building on behalf of Savage."

"Reconnaissance in a laboratory." Stein noted. "Finally, my kind of mission." He finished enthusiastically.

"No, no, no, hang on a minute." Rip halted. "Jefferson's still recovering from his injuries."

"This is hardly a job for Firestorm." Stein responded. "Let him rest." He took one of the translators and swallowed. He waited for a few seconds before speaking, _"I'll be right back." _The professor then walked out of the bridge, Rip staring after him with an uneasy expression.

* * *

_**Luskavic Labs**_

Confidently, Stein approached the facitly. He was halted by a guard who held up his hand, and another guard cocked his rifle and took aim at the professor. Without fear, Stein turned around with a badge in hand. "I'm Dr. Gregor Gavrilov of the State Council of Science, and I'm here to inspect the facility." He informed them with a lace of authority in his voice.

The guards allowed him entry into the facility. "I'm in and heading to the basement." He told Rip, who was monitoring him back on the Waverider. Stein walked down a staircase and made a left turn, following the directions of the schematics, and he spotted the door of the target area. "Here's hoping the key Mr. Snart stole off Ms. Vostok works." He said as he approached the door, and inserted the card into the reader. It beeped, and the door clicked open.

Stein pushed the door open and closed it upon entering the other side before pocketing the card…

But he froze upon seeing what greeted him. A row of bodies under tarps. "Oh, my God." He murmured in shock. Just what kind of weapon is Savage building? He walked ahead and spotted a desk with some files on it. He took out the contents and his heart skipped a beat…

It was a picture of Jax, or rather, Jax as Firestorm. "I know what Vostok is working on. "She's trying to build… me."

Rip was silent for a few seconds before asking in confusion, _"What do you mean?"_

"I mean, Savage has spent the last decade trying to level the arms race against our team." Stein began his explanation. "Operation Svarog. Slavic god of fire, of course. He and Vostok are building a Soviet Firestorm."

Stein's mind was spinning uncontrollably. How did they even figure out how to start? Deciding to find out just how far this project has come, Stein investigated the area and to his horror, he found a reactor which stored a very familiar object. "They've already built a thermal core."

"_Professor, need I remind you, this is a reconnaissance mission." _Rip cautioned.

"It's only a matter of time before Vostok figures out how to stabilize a Soviet Firestorm." Stein returned, before coming to his choice. "I'm not leaving without it." He declared. "It's the key to building others just like me."

"_Yes, but perhaps you should wait for the rest of the team." _Rip advised. _"They're on their way."_

"Are you familiar with ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, captain?" Stein retorted. "The released inside of this chamber will kill anyone other than me."

"_Look, despite your impermeability to nuclear energy, you're still quite vulnerable to bullets!" _Rip shot back.

"I just need someone to take the core offline, so I can remove it safely and shield it." Stein reasoned.

"_I'm all over it, professor." _Ray's voice came through the com channel.

In the control room, Snart slugged a guard across the face, instantly knocking him out, before punching another guard in the stomach, then in the face, knocking him out as well. "_We're _all over it." He corrected after he turned to face Ray.

"_Remember, Dr. Palmer," _Stein began grimly, _"that shutting down the core incorrectly can lead to the creation of-"_

"Strangeness, black holes, and uncontrolled fusion reactions that consume the universe?" Ray concluded as he sat down. "See? I was listening in class, professor." He added.

Meanwhile, Stein turned the wheel and opened the chamber doors, pressure hissing as action was performed. He stepped into the reactor, instantly feeling a massive wave of energy as he stared the crackling thermal core.

In the control room…

"How we doing, Boy Scout?" Snart asked Ray.

"Uh, point of fact, I completed all twenty one merit badges, including nuclear science, so I'm an Eagle Scout." Ray informed. Snart rolled his eyes. Then, Ray spotted Valentina strolling along the balcony directly across from the control room. "Uh-oh. We got a problem." He pointed out as he stood up. "Valentina's headed toward the core containment unit. The radiation Stein's about to unleash- i- if she opens the door-"

"We're here to stop Savage from building a nuclear powered superhero." Snart reminded. "Saving some commie broad ain't on the agenda."

"Even if the radiation doesn't kill her, Savage will, the second he finds out the lab's been sabotaged." Ray retaliated. "Look, we gotta get her out of here."

"Well, who's gonna shut the core, Raymond?" Snart asked as stepped closer to Ray. "I skipped that merit badge."

"_Raymond, why is the thermal core still running at full power?" _Stein demanded over the com channel. He cannot remove it until it has been powered down.

Ray came up with a solution to both problems. "I'll handle the core. You handle Valentina."

"You're willing to risk the mission for a woman you barely know?" Snart demanded incredulously.

"Be helpful to others." Ray replied. Snart shook his head, not satisfied with the answer. "It's the Scout motto."

Snart shoved Ray back into the chair. "Thirty seconds." He began. "I'll get Vostok, you kill the power for Stein, and, Raymond, promise me." He finished seriously, a matching gleam in his eyes. Ray nodded, and Snart walked out of the control room. The inventor of the Atom suit then slid the buttons down, and he looked to a nearby screen, watching the radiation levels go down.

Valentina strolled down the balcony, then stopped in shock when Snart stepped out, blocking her path. "Bad idea." He said.

"What are you doing here?" Valentina asked him in shock.

"Believe me, I've been asking myself the same question." Snart replied nonchalantly, as if he wasn't trespassing in a top secret facility.

Instantly, Valentina connected the dots. "The night at the Bolshoi. It was you who stole my keys."

"And your wallet, but it was nothing personal." Snart added casually.

Valentina turned and her eyes widened when she saw someone, an old man, in the reactor. "What the hell is that man doing? He has no idea what the core is capable of." She moved to sprint past Snart, but he stopped her.

"Relax." He soothed. "He's the one who invented it."

In the reactor, Stein raised a hand and placed it on the thermal core. Upon touching it, he felt the massive energy, and the radiation fizzled. "I'm the first person to have ever seen cosmic radiation with his own eyes." He stated.

"_You know, let's keep it that way." _Ray suggested. _"Snart, you better keep Valentina out of the core containment unit."_

With Snart and Valentina…

"You used me." Valentina accused Snart. "You work for American government."

"I'm wanted by the American government. Does that count?" Snart corrected. Valentina scoffed and turned around. "Look, I may be your white knight just this once, but that weapon Savage has you building? He's creating a nuclear powered monster."

Valentina chuckled quietly before turning around, pulled out a pistol and aimed at Snart. "I know." Looks like Troy was right about her knowing who she's working for. "It was sweet of you to think of me as a damsel in distress," she went on as she took Snart's cold gun and dropped it on the floor, "but… I'm not the one who needs rescuing."

Snart didn't falter, unfazed by the gun pointed at his head. "Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. I'm not the sentimental type."

"No," Valentina agreed with that, "but your partner, the physicist with the big brown eyes, is."

In the control room…

"_Turn the core back online." _Ray suddenly heard Valentina over the com channel. He stood up and look out the window to see the woman holding Snart at gunpoint. _"You will turn it back on, or I will put a bullet in your friend's head."_

"_Don't you dare." _Snart warned. _"She's gonna shoot me whether you do it or not."_

"_That may be true," _Valentina said as she leaned into speak into her captive's ear, _"and you can take that gamble if you like. It's only his life you wager."_

"_Almost there." _Stein announced as began to remove the thermal core.

"_I'm not joking, Raymond." _Snart stated seriously. _"Don't you dare push that button."_

Ray hesitated, then decided it was not worth losing another member of the team, and slid the buttons up, and the thermal core came back online. _"Raymond, what's going on?" _Stein demanded. _"The core just went back online."_

"Sorry, professor, I had to do it." Ray replied regretfully.

"_You idiot." _Snart snarled as Valentina looked down at the chamber.

Stein, however, wasn't deterred. _"I-I can still remove it. I just hope I can absorb the excess power."_

"No." Ray exclaimed in alarm. "Do you have any idea the kind of energy that-"

He never got to finish when a guard rammed the buttstock of his rifle against Ray's head. He was knocked out cold and slumped to the floor. The guard was also accompanied by a military officer. "Should have listened to your friend." Colonel Kravchenko Dragovich remarked smugly.

In the reactor, Stein was about to grasp the thermal core when- _"What the hell are you doing, Gray?"_

Stein jolted and casted his gaze upward. "Jefferson?"

"_You are not Firestorm." _Jax admonished. _"You're just a stubborn old man who's about to make a really stupid decision."_

"Wait, i-is this what it's like when I'm in your head?" Stein asked as he paced in front of the core. "I-I apologize, dear boy, because it's rather distracting."

"_Your body cannot handle this alone." _Jax stated.

"I appreciate your concern. You were right. I've risked your life enough times. Now, it's my turn." With that declaration, Stein moved to grasp the thermal core.

"_No!" _Jax shouted.

Stein clasped both hands on the core, and instantly, the energy began to course through him like a battery charging. It was intense, but Stein remained steadfast. Then, finally, the energy had been absorbed, but it had nearly drained Stein and he began to breathe heavily. Weakly, the professor walked over and placed the core inside of a box that was designed to store it.

Stein then opened the door and stumbled out of the chamber, closing the door behind him. But he didn't get far when four guards closed in on him, aiming their rifles at the professor, who froze in fear. "Professor Stein," the elderly man looked up to see Valentina holding Snart at gunpoint on the level above him, "your comrade here tells me you know quite a bit about this project of mine. Very good. You and I have much to discuss." Two guards came over and they forced Stein to drop the box before they dragged the elderly man off.

"What are you waiting for? You forget how to use that thing?" Snart sneered at Valentina as she moved to stand behind him, her pistol still trained on his head.

"My employer, Mr. Savage, would very much like to meet you and the rest of your friends." Valentina informed.

Snart smirked, as if knowing something was about to go down. "Careful what you wish for." He advised.

"This where the party's at?!"

Valentina whirled around and fled down where Snart had originally appeared to avoid being incinerated by Mick's flamethrower. The arsonist kicked the cold gun and the weapon slid across the floor and toward its wielder. Guards began to open fire on the criminal duo. Snart fired his cold gun once and Mick fired his flamethrower twice. Then, the pyro cried out in pain when a bullet struck him in the shoulder. He dropped his flamethrower and bumped against some machinery. One of the guards yelled out and swung his rifle at Mick, but the arsonist grabbed him and slammed against a wall before slugging him across the face.

"_Mr. Snart, can you hear me? Do not let Vostok leave with that thermal core!" _Rip shouted over the com channel.

Snart watched as multiple guards began to close in on Mick, the arsonist fighting back as best as he could. "Get the hell out of here!" He shouted to his partner. "What are you waiting for?! Go, go!"

Reluctantly, Snart holstered his weapon before jumping off the balcony and grabbed hold of a chain rope and slid down to the floor below. Hastily, Snart ran over and grabbed the box containing the thermal core and fled to take cover behind the reactor chamber. "Now might be a good time to send in reinforcements, especially the big guns." He suggested as he pulled out his cold gun again, referring to Chaos with the last words. "Mick and Stein just got pinched by the Russkies." And he was sure Raymond had been captured as well.

"_You're gonna have to get out of there right now." _Rip ordered.

"They're hanging us out to dry, Rip; I need backup." Snart said, his tone more firm.

"_I'm afraid our only option is retreat." _The captain replied.

"What about my partner?!" Snart retorted as he fired at a guard on the balcony.

"_Well, until we devise our next move, Mr. Rory will have to fend for himself. Remember the mission. If the Soviets get that thermal core back, your partner will not be the only one who dies."_

As much as Snart hated it, Rip was right. Angrily, he took the box with one hand and broke off into a sprint, avoiding the incoming bullets.

Shortly after, the captured team members were escorted outside. Ray was loaded onto a slab, still unconscious. "You better kill me now." Mick growled at Dragovich as two guards dragged the arsonist over to their commanding officer. "If I ever get my hands on you, I'm gonna get all Rocky IV on your ass." In response, Dragovich grabbed Mick by the head and slammed him against a truck. Mick grunted and staggered, the only things prevent him from falling to the ground were the guards holding him. "I'm gonna remember that, comrade." The arsonist promised in a daze before the guards dragged him off.

Valentina then approached Dragovich. "We must leave now, Colonel Dragovich." She said to him.

"There's still one more intruder, and he has the thermal core." Dragovich informed.

Valentina shook her head. "We don't need it now." She countered. "We have something far better." She then walked off. Dragovich then eyed Stein before the guards holding him shoved him into the truck.

* * *

_**The Waverider**_

Snart was sitting at the table in the study with a furious and dark expression plastered on his face. "Ugh," Rip exhaled as he entered the study, spotting the thermal core on the table, "thank God you managed to grab it."

"Where was my backup, Captain?" Snart asked as Rip closed the box, an edge in his voice, something Rip took notice of. "Half the team is gone…" He powered up his cold gun and aimed it at Rip. "Because of you."

"Only if I'd have sent the other half to save them, even Chaos, they'd be captured too," Rip countered calmly, "and where would we be, hmm?" He went on. "Savage would have both halves of Firestorm, a dead Kendra on top of a dead Carter, everything he wants. As an added bonus, he would have find a way to separate Chaos from Mr. Winter and Savage would have one of the strongest symbiotes in his clutches. It would be the end to our little crusade, and most likely, the world. So before you pull that trigger, ask yourself: what would you have done?"

Snart stared at Rip with an unreadable expression, before speaking, "That is a pretty cold calculation, Rip. Almost criminal," he deactivated his weapon before standing up, "except we criminals have a code: you never leave one of your own behind."

"We will get them back." Rip promised. "Now, if Savage even hopes to create a Firestorm, first, he's going to need a new one of these." He gestured to the box containing the thermal core.

Shortly after, the remainng members of the team had gatered in the bridge. The thermal core box was now resting on the central console. "A thermal core?" Kendra asked in confusion.

"Let me get this straight." Sara began as she walked over toward Rip. "You had Kendra and I training for the next mission, when we should have been out there helping them."

"And you had me on standby." Troy added with a glare.

"_**We could have single handedly got them out of that lab." **_Chaos growled.

"We will help them," Rip assured both Star City natives, then began to walk around the console, "and our next mission is to get our compatriots back from Vostok."

"Who is to say they're not already dead?" Kendra queried.

"Vostok needs the professor alive in order to rebuild the thermal core." Rip answered.

"And Ray and Rory?" Jax questioned.

"Savage will keep them alive too." Rip replied.

"As leverage." Troy stated bluntly.

"He'll torture them if Stein tries to hold out." Sara added.

"Well, we'll have to pray that he does." Rip commented. "If Savage's goal is to create his own Firestorm, then Stein himself is the key, the missing piece of the puzzle. And if Vostok figures out how to turn Stein's powers against us, then…" He shook his head as he turned around, letting out shaky breaths. "I'm afraid the world is beyond saving."

"Stein's a lot tougher then he looks." Jax said confidently. "I mean, it will take a lot to break him."

"That's the good news." Rip pinched the bridge of his nose. "The bad news is that our compatriots are being held in an impenetrable Soviet gulag."

* * *

_**Koshmar**_

Unfortunately, Ray, Mick, and Stein weren't sent to just any gulag. This one is also known as the Nightmare. This particular gulag holds the most violent and dangerous criminals. And because of how dangerous the inmates are, Koshmar is the most heavily guarded and fortified gulag in all of Russia.

A guard opened a cage door, allowing another guard to enter with Stein. The same guard then shoved the professor into a small cage which only contained a bed. The guard locked the cage as Dragovich approached. "Get a good night's sleep." The colonel advised. "You and Dr. Vostok have much work to do in the morning."

"My companions from the lab… what did you do with them?" Stein asked uneasily.

Dragovich removed his cover. "Don't worry. They're alive." He assured the elderly man, before adding menacingly, "Whether they remain that way is entirely up to you, professor."

Without another word, Dragovich turned and left the room, leaving behind a terrified Stein in his cage. The professor had never felt so scared, helpless, and alone his entire life.

* * *

**As always, thank you for reading! Please leave a review, and until next time, have an awesome day and stay tuned for more!**


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